All posts by csb10.top

Chris Adams: a full set of centuries© Getty Images

Chris Adams, the Sussex captain, joined an exclusive club today by scoring centuries against all 18 first-class counties.Northamptonshire was the last side on his list, and he ticked them off with his 40th first-class hundred at Hove, as Sussex built a large total in reply to Northants in their Division One match.Adams, 34, began his career with Derbyshire in 1988 and moved to Sussex ten years later. Taking over the captaincy, his ultimate achievement was leading Sussex to their first Championship title last season. Adams joined Mark Ramprakash and Carl Hooper, who both completed their full sets of county centuries last season. Among current players Stuart Law and Graeme Hick have both made centuries against 17 different counties: Hick has never made one against Worcestershire, while Law needs one against his old county Essex, who are not in the same division as his current team, Lancashire.Adams played five Tests and five one-dayers for England between 1998 and 2000, and averages just under 40 in first-class cricket.

Day 3
Scorecard

	South Zone will look to their captain S Badrinath to secure a come-from-behind victory © Cricinfo Ltd

A superb bowling performance helped South Zone crawl their way back into their match against East Zone in Mumbai. After an eventful third day, the game was evenly poised with South needing another 160 runs to win with seven wickets in hand.East were in command when the day started, having secured a handy 114-run lead with all their wickets intact. However, they let their advantage slip with an inept batting performance. Only one of their top six batsmen got a start – Anustup Majumdar – as they crashed to 79 for 6.No. 7 Halhadar Das, who made 93 in the first innings, top scored again with an unbeaten 52, including eight boundaries, to add some respectability to the East total. Tushar Saha also chipped in with a 28 to help set a target of 273. South’s bowlers kept the runs under check; Ashwin Raghu finished with impressive figures of 3 for 33.South’s pursuit got off to a bad start with Murali Vijay falling in the first over to former India international Debasis Mohanty. S Badrinath, the South Zone captain, and Ravi Teja stitched together an 81-run stand for the second wicket. Teja was aggressive – making 54 in 59 balls and lashing eight fours and a six – before left-arm spinner Saha trapped him in front. Arjun Yadav made 12 before falling in a similar manner. Badrinath remained unbeaten on a sedate 42 with wicketkeeper Prasad Reddy keeping him company.
ScorecardA spirited performance from England Lions’ gave them the edge going into the final day of their match against Central Zone. Chasing a stiff 296 for victory, they reached a confident 146 for 1 by stumps in Vadodara.Joe Denly was the only Lions’ wicket to fall, trapped in front by left-arm spinner Praveen Gupta for 15. Michael Carberry and captain Michael Yardy then forged an unbroken 116-run stand for the second wicket to lead the Lions’ pursuit. Needing to score the highest total of the match to win, Carberry and Yardy both played patient knocks to ensure there was no repeat of the second day’s batting collapse. Carberry, who made 35 in the first innings, didn’t throw away his start this time, finishing on an unbeaten 71, including 12 fours and a six. The experienced Yardy had reached 57 by stumps.Central had started the day in control after gaining a 115-run first-innings lead but were kept down to a moderate 180 in their second. With a top-order collapse seeing them at a parlous 39 for 4, Mohammad Kaif, the captain, tried to salvage the situation, top scoring with 42. The tail also resisted with a 60-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Jalaj Saxena (27) and Sanjib Sanyal (37).All the Lions’ bowlers chipped in, with Graham Onions being the most successful, taking three wickets. Monty Panesar was expensive but got the big wicket of the in-form Kaif while legspinner Adil Rashid made short work of the last two wickets.

Scorecard

	Kumar Sangakkara was declared the Man-of-the-Tournament for his 264 runs © AFP

Rain was the ultimate winner in the Inter-Provincial Limited-Overs Tournament final between Kandurata and Wayamba which ended in a no result with only 35.3 overs being bowled in the entire match. The teams were declared joint champions and picked up prize money worth Rs 1.7 million (US$15,700) each.The weather has not been at its best for the past fortnight and Sri Lanka Cricket, who organised the tournament, were keeping their fingers crossed that it would clear away on Sunday and allow a full day’s play at the SSC. However it was not to be. Heavy rain on the previous night left the pitch and the outfield with a great deal of moisture which pushed back the start by one-and-a-half hours.The match was reduced to a 43 overs-a-side and Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene had no hesitation in inviting Kandurata to bat. It proved a good move as Wayamba captured two wickets including the prize one of Kandurata captain Kumar Sangakkara in the opening ten overs.Sajith Fernando and tailender Suraj Mohamed, surprisingly promoted in the order, mended the innings with a partnership of 67 off 62 balls. Fernando scored 44 off 58 deliveries and Mohamed 42 off 69. Fernando’s dismissal at 98 sparked off another mini-collapse as Kandurata lost a further two wickets for the addition of seven runs before the rain arrived with Kandurata 131 for 5 off 29.3 overs. The innings ended on that total and when play recommenced at 4pm Wayamba were set the task of chasing 143 runs from 25 overs under the Duckworth/Lewis method.Michael Vandort and Mahela Udawatte gave them a flying start posting 37 runs off six overs before the rains returned to bring an end to the game.Sangakkara with 264 runs at 66 and the scorer of the only century in the tournament (109 v Basnahira South) won the Man-of-the-Tournament award of Rs 100,000 (US$923).

Ashwell Prince played a knock of real character to give South Africa a handy first-innings lead© Getty Images

West Indies were backed up against the ropes but still standing and still scrapping after another round of intense struggle in the second Test at Newlands yesterday. Once again, every punch was followed by a counterpunch but South Africa’s blows on opponents handicapped by significant injuries, were more frequent and more telling.Trailing by 25 at the start of a day of glorious, cloudless sunshine with half their wickets still in tact, the home team battled their way to an eventual lead of 78 and proceeded to further reinforce their position by removing four West Indies wickets for 96 by close.The equation entering the fourth day is a distinct advantage for the highly-ranked home team. The unexpectedly plucky contenders are ahead by just 18 with hopes of extending the 1-0 lead in the series – gained by their shock, deserving win in the first Test in Port Elizabeth – dependent mainly on sizeable contributions by their two best and most experienced batsmen, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and captain Chris Gayle, who resume their partnership this morning.On a thickly-grassed outfield that devalues shots, even though cut before the start, and a pitch that has yielded 14 wickets to catches off the outside edge between wicketkeeper and gully, apart from more playing and missing than is usual in an entire series, a winning target even as modest of 180 or thereabouts would not be as straightforward as it appears.But this would require an exceptional effort for West Indies, especially in light of the hamstring injuries that have incapacitated two key players.Gayle’s, sustained in Zimbabwe back on December 2 and aggravated while batting in the first innings, forced him to abandon the opening position he has filled in all but six of his 124 Test innings, and appear quarter-hour to the end at No. 6 in the company of a runner. The last time he dropped down the list was in South Africa four years ago, in the Johannesburg Test, once more because of a leg muscle injury.Fidel Edwards, the main strike bowler, was not available for the rest of the match and probably series by a grade-two strain that struck him down after 4.5 overs in the first innings. His absence placed heavy responsibility on the rest that may have taken its toll on their fitness.The contest had swung towards South Africa over the last two hours, 10 minutes of the second day when Ashwell Prince and the feisty wicketkeeper Mark Boucher lifted their team from the instability of 131 for 5 with an unbroken stand of 87.They defied steady bowling through the first hour, 10 minutes yesterday to stretch their partnership to 129 and the lead to 17. The closest they came to being separated was by Marlon Samuels’ throw from midwicket that missed its target with Boucher, at 51, well short of his ground.It took the introduction of Dwayne Bravo to make the break. The bowling hero of the previous day with his 24 consecutive overs and three wickets, lost a close lbw appeal against Boucher one ball and induced a misjudged pull the next that was diverted into the stumps in a replay of his second-innings dismissal in the first Test.Daren Powell, so short of control the previous day he conceded 69 from 19 wicketless overs, took up the slack left by Edwards’ absence with 16 consecutive overs. Reward for his tireless effort was the wickets of Paul Harris and Andre Nel, caught off tentative outside edges by second slip and keeper.South Africa were a manageable 41 to the good when No. 10 Dale Steyn joined Prince on Nel’s dismissal, carrying AB de Villiers with him as a runner in deference to a reported hamstring strain. It was a strange course since the injury didn’t prevent him from taking his place when West Indies batted again or from delivering nine overs for the return of Runako Morton’s wicket.A couple of missed catches in the deep, the first signs in the series of fallibility in the series, aided the addition of 37 valuable runs for the last two wickets. The first was by Morton off Prince’s top-edged hook off Bravo, when the left-hander was 91, the second by substitute Darren Sammy at deep midwicket off Steyn’s slog off Marlon Samuels.

	Dwayne Bravo ended a gutsy stand of 129 for the sixth wicket between Mark Boucher and Ashwell Prince © Getty Images

Prince, excited by the prospects of his seventh Test hundred, did not make use of his opportunity – and had only himself, and Jerome Taylor, to blame. He was three short of his goal when he chose to chance a second run on a shot to third man. He lost. Taylor swooped on the ball and his return to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, fast and accurate if a little high, beat Prince’s dive for home by a yard to so. His statistics of just over five hours and 225 balls in changing such a delicate balance represented an innings of real character.Steyn and Makhaya Ntini put on a further 20 for the last wicket, vital runs in a low scoring match, until Rawl Lewis’ second Test wicket, in his fifth match, ended the innings to a catch at deep midwicket.Gayle returned to the team room between innings in such distress from his tender hamstring after 118.2 overs in the field that he reluctantly acknowledged it would be foolhardy to try to head back out to open the innings.A volunteer was sought and, according the media manager Philip Spooner, Ramdin immediately raised his hand. The wicketkeeper is a novice to the position and, for the 17 overs to tea in which three sets of leg-byes boundaries helped put West Indies at 30 without loss, he confirmed it.He seemed to be batting blindfolded, so repeatedly did Nel especially, Ntini and Steyn pass his bat. But he kept his composure under Nel’s usual verbal barrage and gradually found the middle of the bat with five aggressive boundaries in 32.He and his Trinidad and Tobago captain Daren Ganga lasted into the 27th over, putting on 59, before Ramdin finally touched a catch to the keeper, off Jacques Kallis.Morton followed in the next over to an inappropriate drive at Steyn that presented Boucher with another catch.The dismissals of Ganga and Marlon Samuels, both assured but always under threat from the occasional unplayable delivery from the tricky surface, tightened South Africa’s grip. Ganga’s vigil of two-and-three-quarter hours for 22 was ended by Ntini’s first ball of a new spell, bowled off the pad by one that cut back.Samuels fought hard for an hour and 25 minutes for 18 but was quarter-hour short of batting through to the end when Nel won an lbw decision against him. It scuppered Gayle’s hope of not to having to bat for the remainder of the day. He saw through the end comfortably but he carried his real job into the fourth day.

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

Makhaya Ntini: 13-wicket hero© Getty Images

Makhaya Ntini recorded his best Test figures of 7 for 37, to complete a sensational 13-wicket match haul and set South Africa for an emphatic eight-wicket victory on the final day in Trinidad. AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith then rubbed salt into the open wounds by rattling along to a 117-run opening stand in the second innings, and though both then fell before tea to massage the margin of defeat, Jacques Kallis and Jacques Rudolph sealed the win 15 minutes into the final session.It was, from start to finish, an utterly depressing day for West Indies. They had resumed with an overnight lead of 119 and a faint hope of saving the match, but squandered their position with a collapse of five wickets for 24 runs in just 59 balls of the new ball, four of them to the unplayable Ntini. Then, with a meagre target of 144 to defend, their hopes were utterly deflated in a ten-minute spell either side of tea, when Reon King twice committed the ultimate – and in West Indies’ case, the long-overdue – crime of taking a wicket with a no-ball.On an increasingly devious track, de Villiers had decided that a swift denouement was in order, and beat Daren Powell out of the attack with three classy overs in his opening over. He continued in similar vein until, in the penultimate over before lunch, King removed his off stump with a beauty. David Shepherd, however, had already signalled the no-ball, and as a grinning de Villiers led the teams off for lunch, King remained out in the middle, scratching the popping crease like a disconsolate rooster.He measured and re-measured his run-up, but it was all to no avail. In the third over after the resumption, Smith flinched a dolly to short midwicket, but once again King had overstepped, and Brian Lara was already grimacing as he stooped to complete the catch. From that moment on, the fight went out of the West Indian performance, and though they salvaged some pride with two late wickets, the sight of Ramnaresh Sarwan dropping Rudolph at gully with two runs needed for victory was a more apt commentary on the day’s events.In fact, West Indies’ solitary bright spot came in the third over of the morning, as Sarwan, 93 not out overnight, brought up his seventh Test century with a firm push for four down the ground. Thereafter, Ntini entered the attack to share the new ball, and the end of the innings was swift and dramatic.Ntini made the big incision with his third ball of the morning, as Dwayne Bravo flashed hard at a wide one and feathered an edge through to Mark Boucher behind the stumps. He was gone for 33, and Ntini had completed his second haul of ten wickets in a match. One over later he surpassed his previous-best performance, against England at Lord’s in 2003, when Courtney Browne was trapped on the move to become a very rare lbw victim (188 for 7) – it was just Ntini’s 13th such dismissal in 57 Tests and 217 wickets.

Andre Nel adds to the West Indian collapse© Getty Images

Andre Nel then got in on the act as well, as Powell deflected a thick edge towards second slip, where Jacques Kallis, quick as a flash, reached to his right to pluck a lightning chance. Sarwan could do nothing but look on and hope for the best. Pedro Collins played down the wrong line and lost his off stump to Ntini, and after an emphatic four through point from Sarwan, King was beaten for sheer pace as Ntini completed his share of the rout.Ntini’s match figures of 13 for 132 were the best by a South African in Test history, surpassing a record that had stood for 53 years – Hugh Tayfield’s 13 for 165 against Australia at Melbourne in 1952-53. It was a performance made all the more memorable by the absence of Shaun Pollock, who has been South Africa’s premier strike bowler since the retirement of Allan Donald, and showed that the succession is in safe hands.How they were outWest IndiesDwayne Bravo c Boucher b Ntini 33 (180 for 6)
Lapse in concentration, swished at a wide oneCourtney Browne lbw b Ntini 2 (188 for 7)
Caught on the move, hit just inside the lineDaren Powell c Kallis b Nel 1 (189 for 8)
Flying edge, plucked at second slipPedro Collins b Ntini 0 (190 for 9)
Played down wrong line, lost off stumpReon King b Ntini 0 (194 for 10)
Beaten for pace, stumps splatteredSouth AfricaGraeme Smith c Gayle b Bravo 41 (117 for 1)
Loose drive to first slip
AB de Villiers b Powell 62 (119 for 2)
Squared up by one that kept fractionally low

SYDNEY, March 6 AAP – Stuart MacGill’s spin almost cancelled out Ashley Noffke’s pace as NSW and Queensland found contrasting ways to humiliate each other on the opening day of their Pura Cup match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.On a day in which 20 wickets fell for less than 300 runs, Queensland led by 88 after dismissing NSW for 102 only to be bowled out for 190 in turn, with MacGill taking 5-52.While NSW was well behind, Steve Waugh’s men were not totally out of a contest which should end in a positive result one way or the other.NSW, searching for a place in the Cup final against the Bulls starting next week in Brisbane, looked like they’d lost the map this morning as Noffke scythed through the world-class line-up.Removing Michael Slater, Steve Waugh and Michael Clarke for ducks inside the first half-hour with a series of deliveries which swung and cut off the seam, Noffke finished with 6-24.It was his best bowling for Queensland but not quite as good as hauls of seven and eight wickets for Middlesex in English county cricket.He expected things to be tougher tomorrow when NSW bats to save its season.”Tomorrow’s probably going to the most important day of the year for them,” Noffke said.”Their future’s going to be determined by how they play tomorrow.”Having ripped through NSW so easily, Noffke wasn’t keen to nominate NSW as his preferred opponent for the final.”We’re not too worried about who we play. If we play good cricket we’re going to be pretty hard to beat.”Queensland did just that today but Noffke said the Bulls were disappointed they “took their foot off the throat a bit” to allow NSW a glimmer of hope with three days to play.Queensland attained first innings points about midway through the opening day and at 2-105 shortly after tea, the Bulls were well on their way to an outright victory.However, MacGill and fellow wrist-spinner Simon Katich (3-55) soon brought their side back into the contest.MacGill, on a hat-trick at one stage, also took two wickets in his final over of the day to wrap up Queensland’s innings, the Bulls losing their last nine wickets for 95 runs.While Noffke was happy with his own haul he put some blame on the batsmen from both sides for the day’s proceedings.”It wasn’t a 20-wickets-in-a-day pitch,” Noffke confessed.”Play from both sides was a little bit poor at times.”It was a timely effort from Noffke after Queensland suffered a tough blow on the morning of the match with pace bowler Joe Dawes ruled out with a back strain.Dawes, the second-leading wicket-taker in the competition, flew home for scans while the Bulls sent down Damien MacKenzie to act as 12th man.Dawes’ absence left the Bulls with only two specialist pace bowlers – Noffke and Michael Kasprowicz – and with two spinners, including debutant Chris Simpson.

In response to enquiries from the public regarding live television coverage of matches on SABC3, Dr Ali Bacher, Executive Director of CWC 2003, today issued the following statement:”Live television coverage in South Africa of CWC 2003 matches is carried out through an agreement between the SABC and Supersport.”From Day One, we at the organising committee of CWC 2003 have been absolutely consistent in our request to the SABC that they show every match live. However, the agreement between SABC and Supersport is that SABC3 televise 27 of the 52 matches.”We at CWC 2003 are not at all happy that the SABC is televising live only five of the nine Super Six matches.”

The XXXX Queensland Bulls will stick with an unchanged line-up for Friday night’s ING Cup clash with Victoria at the Gabba following their opening win of the season against Tasmania.The Queensland selectors have also shown faith in the one-day line-up by naming the same twelve players for the Bulls opening Pura Cup match against the Bushrangers starting on Sunday at the Gabba.The Pura Cup selection means that former Tasmanian and Western Australian representative Shane Jurgensen is set to make his first class debut for his home state.If Jurgensen plays, he will become the 13th player to represent three States in Australian first class cricket.University of Queensland batsman Steve Farrell, who was 12th man in the four-wicket win over the Tigers, is also a chance to making his first class debut while left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson is in line to play his first Pura Cup match since 2001.The Bulls players will take to the field against Victoria in their opening first class match of the summer with their initials and their order of selection for Queensland featured on their playing shirts.Friday’s ING Cup match starts at 2.30pm, with gates opening at 1.30pm.A crowd in excess of 10,000 is expected, with the game being promoted as Volunteers’ Day.This is the third season in a row that Queensland Cricket, Volunteering Queensland and the Brisbane City Council have combined for a “thank-you” to the hard-working volunteers and voluntary organisations of Queensland.Volunteering Queensland have provided complimentary tickets to their registered volunteers and organisations, with the BCC providing free Council buses to the game.ING Cup, Friday, October 31 (D/N).
XXXX Queensland Bulls v Victorian Bushrangers: Stuart Law, Daniel Payne, Martin Love (c), Clinton Perren, Lee Carseldine, James Hopes, Wade Seccombe, Nathan Hauritz, Mitchell Johnson, Joe Dawes, Shane Jurgensen, Steve Farrell (12th man to be named).Pura Cup, Sun Nov 2 – Wed Nov 5:
XXXX Queensland Bulls v Victorian Bushrangers: Stuart Law, Daniel Payne, Martin Love (c), Clinton Perren, Lee Carseldine, James Hopes, Wade Seccombe, Nathan Hauritz, Mitchell Johnson, Joe Dawes, Shane Jurgensen, Steve Farrell (12th man to be named).

The Tasmanian Selectors have today announced the Cascade Tasmanian Tigers squad selected to play the Western Warriors in the ING Cup Twighlight match at Launceston Oval on Sunday, 1st February 2004.

CASCADE TASMANIAN TIGERS
Daniel MARSH (Captain)
Shane WATSON (Vice-Captain)
Xavier DOHERTY
George BAILEY
Michael DIGHTON
Michael Di VENUTO
Andrew DOWNTON
Sean CLINGELEFFER
Damien WRIGHT
Shannon TUBB
Adam GRIFFITH
Luke BUTTERWORTH
Scott KREMERSKOTHEN

The eleven to play in the match will be named on the morning of the game.Damien Wright returns from injury to make up the squad of thirteen. The twelve players who were selected for the last ING Cup match against Queensland have been retained in the squad.The Tasmanian Cricket Association would like to remind Patrons and Media this will be a twighlight match and play will commence at 12 noon, with gates open at 10.30 am.During the match patrons will have the chance to win a set of keys to the Ford Focus competition by supporting the Tigers and bringing their entry form from the Mercury Newspaper and placing it in the entry box provided at the ground.

Robert Christiani: 99 on debut© The Cricketer

Robert Christiani, the former West Indian batsman, has died a couple of days after the passing of Charlie Stayers, the former West Indian allrounder, according to the CaribbeanCricket.com website. Christiani, who was 85, died in Toronto recently.Christiani, who was a right-handed opening batsman, scored 896 runs at an average of 26.35 from 22 Tests. Known as “Sugarfoot”, he was famous for being unlucky enough to be dismissed for 99 on his Test debut, against England in 1947-48 – he is one of three players to share that unwanted distinction. He later did make a Test century, 107 against India in 1948-49. He averaged 40.50 in 88 first-class matches, scoring 5103 runs with a highest score of 181.Christiani came from a well-known cricketing family in Guyana, and began his career as a lower-order batsman. His older brother, Cyril, played four Tests for West Indies in the 1930s, while Harry and Ernest, two other brothers, played first-class cricket for British Guiana.The news of Christiani’s death comes on the back of the passing of Stayers, who died recently in Britain at the age of 67. Stayers played four Tests for West Indies, all against India in 1961-62. He played 17 first-class matches, for Bombay in India as well as British Guiana, before his career ended prematurely when he was only 26.