Wednesday, December 24, 2008

India v West Indies - First Test


Eden Gardens, Kolkata

India: SM Gavaskar, MH Mankad, M Amarnath, VS Hazare, M Azharuddin, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, +SMH Kirmani, M Prabhakar, S Venkataraghavan, BS Chandrasekhar.
West Indies: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, GA Headley, RB Kanhai, IVA Richards, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, LR Gibbs, CA Walsh.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: Khizer Hayat (PAK) & CJ Mitchley (SAF)
Toss: West Indies

Winning the toss is nearly always an advantage in any Test match, and an Eden Gardens pitch that was expected to take spin as early as the second day made it an exceptionally good toss to win for Garry Sobers at the start of this three Test series. India fielded three spinners compared to West Indies' one, but with the first day proving to be by far the best day for batting, West Indies rattled up a handy total of 351-9 by the time stumps were drawn, Rohan Kanhai's second ATG century the main contribution.

Kanhai was only in the side due to Clive Lloyd's injury, but his sublime innings made him the only man to pass fifty as numbers 1-8 in the tourists' batting order all made starts but failed to press on. Richards briefly threatened with 38 before edging a kicking delivery from Chandrasekhar through to Kirmani, then Sobers made a very fluent 49 before both he and Kanhai fell in quick succession shortly after tea. India recovered well in the final session of day one, reducing West Indies from 278-4 to 356 all out early on the second morning, but a disastrous second day for the hosts all but secured victory for West Indies with over half the match still to play.

Fourteen wickets fell on a humid day two, thirteen of them Indian, as the home side were routed for just 109 then reduced to 39-3 in their second innings by the close of play as they followed-on. Marshall started the slide first time around, taking three of the first four wickets in an opening burst of 3-5, and after Hazare (49*) and Pataudi (32) briefly rallied with a stand of 53, Gibbs swept away the tail with his best ever ATG figures to leave the Indians 247 behind on first innings.

Sobers duly enforced the follow-on, and it was Walsh who made the early in-roads this time, including Hazare first ball and Gavaskar to an absolutely stunning catch from a full-stretch Dujon for 11. Overcast conditions on day three offered swing to go with the spin served up by the pitch, and only a pair of forties from Amarnath and Pataudi held up West Indies for any length of time as wickets fell at regular intervals throughout the day. It was all over by tea, Chandrasekhar last man out as Dujon claimed his fifth catch of the innings and Sobers his third wicket, and India's total of 192 had given West Indies a surprisingly comfortable innings victory with more than two whole days to spare.

West Indies have now won their last three matches on the subcontinent, two in Pakistan and this one here in Kolkata, whilst India have now lost their last four matches at home, with the unforgiving expectations of the fans seeming to work against the team. West Indies could secure the series with a win in the second Test in Mumbai, so India will need to bounce back quickly if their fans are to avoid yet more disappointment on home turf.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 356 (Kanhai 130, Sobers 49; Chandrasekhar 4-58)
IND 1st Inns 109 (Hazare 49*; Gibbs 5-29)
IND 2nd Inns 192 (Amarnath 43, Pataudi 41)

WEST INDIES WON BY AN INNINGS & 55 RUNS


Man of the Match: RB Kanhai

Friday, December 19, 2008

India v West Indies - Tour Match

Board President's XI v West Indians
Green Park, Kanpur
4 Day Game

Umpires: RB Gupta & MV Gothoskar

Toss: West Indians


BPXI: K Srikkanth, ML Jaisimha, *AL Wadekar, DN Sardesai, VL Manjrekar, SM Patil, SA Durani, RG Nadkarni, C Sharma, +NS Tamhane, BKV Prasad.
WI: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, GA Headley, RB Kanhai, IVA Richards, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, LR Gibbs, CA Walsh.

A slow, lifeless pitch in Kanpur just about consigned this tour game to a draw before a ball was even bowled, but there was opportunity enough for a number of the touring party to find some form before the first Test in Kolkata.

The West Indians' first innings was dominated by a stand of 135 for the sixth wicket between Sobers and Dujon, both batsmen showing the patience necessary to score runs on this type of wicket, patience that was noticeably lacking in the top part of the order. Prasad bowled well to claim the first three wickets, and whilst Nadkarni and Durani both bowled long, economical spells, Sobers and Dujon were content to push ones and twos to keep the scoreboard moving, recording a worthy century and fifty respectively.

The Board President's XI began their first innings on the second afternoon, with skipper Wadekar's four hour 57 anchoring the first half of proceedings before Patil and Sharma added a relatively breezy 87 for the eighth wicket as the hosts finished just nine runs short of the West Indians' total. Only Walsh failed to take a wicket as the tourists' attack received a good work out, but he was then able to put his feet up and watch Gordon Greenidge construct the innings of the match as his team got some further batting practice on the final day.

Greenidge slammed 96 off 152 balls, no mean feat on this pitch, and he was eventually out attempting to raise his hundred with what would have been his fourth six, Jaisimha taking the catch on the midwicket boundary off Nadkarni. Sobers declared at this point, setting the home side an unlikely target of 173 off 23 overs, and understandably the game petered out into the expected draw over the course of the final hour or so. The only real worry in the tourists' camp ahead of the first Test is over Clive Lloyd, who missed this match with a groin strain, and there is every possibility that the XI on display here will be the same XI that take the field for the first Test.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 311 (Sobers 121, Dujon 59; Nadkarni 4-59)
BPXI 1st Inns 302 (Patil 69, Wadekar 57, Srikkanth 50)
WI 2nd Inns 163-5 dec. (Greenidge 96)
BPXI 2nd Inns 63-3

MATCH DRAWN

Sunday, December 14, 2008

India v West Indies - Series Preview


Both previous meetings between these sides have resulted in 2-1 victories for West Indies, with the last series in India producing some very competitive, exciting cricket. India return home for the first time since their 3-0 humiliation at the hands of England, but under the captaincy of Pataudi a 2-0 win over New Zealand in the interim will have given them renewed confidence, and Kapil Dev enters the series in unarguably the best form of his ATG career.
West Indies could be viewed as the form team in world cricket, having won their last three series against Australia, South Africa and Pakistan, and they retain the bulk of the squad that toured Pakistan for the second half of their engagement in the subcontinent. One man with a point to prove will be Viv Richards, who endured a lean time in Pakistan and also failed to fire on West Indies' previous visit to India, and one wonders whether Pataudi's team will feel his wrath over the course of the three Tests.

West Indies Squad
GStA Sobers (c), CH Lloyd (v/c), CEL Ambrose, PJL Dujon, J Garner, LR Gibbs, CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, GA Headley, JL Hendricks, MA Holding, RB Kanhai, MD Marshall, IVA Richards, AL Valentine, CA Walsh.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

South Africa v Pakistan - Series Summary

A 3-0 scoreline somewhat flatters South Africa, for whilst they probably just about deserved to win the series, Pakistan could very easily have won three Tests themselves. The series had a very symmetrical pattern about it; there were high scoring draws at its beginning and end, and a crushing South African victory in the third Test was sandwiched by a pair of thrilling, down to the wire finishes in Centurion and Cape Town. South Africa's recovery from 23-6 on the first morning in Centurion was a turning point in the series, and dramatic collapses from Pakistan's lower order blighted the tourists' chances in all but the final game.

Hansie Cronje's selection as captain for this series was certainly a gamble, but South Africa's new skipper did not let the selectors down; he was consistent with the bat - his 164 in Cape Town was arguably the innings of the series - and his captaincy showed few flaws. Former skipper Trevor Goddard had his best ever series with the ball, but his poor form with the bat presents the selectors with an interesting dilemma for the future. Graeme Pollock finished the series strongly and led the batting averages as is generally the custom, but with the ball dominant for much of the series the rest of the order struggled somewhat, with Dudley Nourse ploughing a particularly deep trough.

Cronje's opposite number, Imran Khan, enjoyed a reasonably profitable series with the ball, but his batting was in a slump even worse than that of Nourse, and it was his wicket that often opened the door for the succession of lower order collapses suffered by Pakistan. Wasim Akram was by far the best bowler for the tourists, and his absence through injury in the fourth Test possibly cost Pakistan the win. Waqar continues to disappoint after his miracle series in New Zealand last season, and injuries to Abdul Qadir and his replacement, Iqbal Qasim, limited the options available to Imran. On the batting side, Mohsin Khan made the most of his recall to the team, but Javed failed to get going and those collapses really did cost Pakistan any chances they might have had of winning the series.

South Africa now move back up into third place in the rankings, and their series in England next season should prove a very stern test of Cronje's team. Pakistan meanwhile now languish in sixth place, but they should have an easier task in their next outing as they host Sri Lanka for three Tests, and they will be hoping to reverse the 3-0 scoreline that they were on the wrong end of here.

Leading Series Averages

South Africa Batting
RG Pollock 580 runs @ 64.44, WJ Cronje 411 @ 45.67, BA Richards 314 @ 34.89, DJ Cullinan 261 @ 32.63, DT Lindsay 260 @ 28.89

South Africa Bowling

TL Goddard 25 wkts @ 17.52, NBF Mann 11 @ 25.55, MJ Procter 20 @ 28.25, AA Donald 19 @ 31.89, PS Heine 7 @ 36.86

Pakistan Batting

Saleem Malik 201 runs @ 67.00, Mohsin Khan 456 @ 45.60, Javed Miandad 328 @ 36.44, Asif Iqbal 227 @ 32.43, Majid Khan 281 @ 31.22

Pakistan Bowling

Wasim Akram 23 wkts @ 18.78, Imran Khan 23 @ 26.61, Asif Iqbal 10 @ 28.70, Abdul Qadir 10 @ 29.70, Waqar Younis 14 @ 36.00


SOUTH AFRICA WON THE SERIES 3-0


Men of the Series: WJ Cronje & Wasim Akram

Thursday, December 11, 2008

South Africa v Pakistan - Fifth Test


The Wanderers, Johannesburg

South Africa: BA Richards, TL Goddard, *WJ Cronje, RG Pollock, AD Nourse, DJ Cullinan, +DT Lindsay, MJ Procter, HJ Tayfield, NBF Mann, AA Donald.
Pakistan: Mohsin Khan, Mudassar Nazar, Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Saleem Malik, Asif Iqbal, *Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, +Wasim Bari, Abdul Qadir, Waqar Younis.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: LH Barker (WI) & BC Cooray (SL)
Toss: South Africa

What appeared to be the best batting surface of the series awaited the teams in Johannesburg, and this was proved to be the case as both sides piled up the runs in their respective first innings. Hansie Cronje won the toss, and under a cloudless sky Barry Richards flicked the first ball of the match for four, thereby setting the tone for what was to come. The early going was dominated by Richards, who looked dead set for a spectacular century until, on 95, he fell lbw to Mudassar's first ball, deceived by a distinct lack of pace from the part-timer. South Africa were 147-2 at this stage, and with the medium pace of Mudassar and Asif causing a fair few problems, the innings stuttered somewhat to 250-4, at which point Dennis Lindsay joined Pollock in a stand of 103 at almost a run a ball to reassert the Proteas' superiority.

Lindsay spanked 56 of his 63 runs in boundaries, and when he was finally caught by Javed off Imran on the second morning, Pollock took over the bulk of the scoring. Cronje contributed a brave 44 after being forced to retire hurt on the first day when he was hit 'below the belt' by a ball from Waqar, but Pollock went on to notch his second century of the series in remorseless fashion, eventually reaching 159 out of South Africa's final total of 474. With pace proving ineffectual, an extended spell from Qadir allowed him to mop up the tail, and his five wicket haul would have given some hope to South Africa's spin twins Mann and Tayfield, the latter of whom had been included in place of Peter Heine, the hosts' only change of personnel in the entire series.

Mohsin and Mudassar gave Pakistan a solid start however, and after Majid (30) and Mohsin (75) both fell in the space of three deliveries on the third morning to set the score back to 148-3, two successive century stands handed the momentum squarely back to the tourists. Saleem Malik was the constant factor in both partnerships, first adding 127 with Javed and then 143 with Asif Iqbal before he became bogged down in the nineties and eventually fell two runs short of a maiden ATG hundred, trapped lbw by Procter early on day four. The recalled Asif continued to bat like a prince though, soon moving on to the fourth century of his career, and fifty stands with Imran and Akram ensured that there would be no lower order collapse for Pakistan this time.

Asif was finally out for a career best 151, Donald bowling him with the new ball to claim his only scalp of the innings, and a brief shower shortly after Asif's dismissal brought about a declaration from Imran, Pakistan having racked up an impressive 542-8, the highest score in the series by either side. We were now halfway through day four, and although they held a lead of 68, Pakistan would have to bowl very well if they were to put South Africa under any sort of pressure on what was still a good batting strip. Wickets did fall though, and a close of play scoreboard that read 153-4 gave Pakistan some hope going into the final day.

Pollock was still there however, and with Cullinan dropping anchor at the other end he taught the tourists' bowlers a harsh lesson on the fifth morning. He survived a stumping chance off Qadir when he was on 90, and that reprieve allowed him to complete his second century of the match, just the seventh time such a feat has been recorded in 185 ATG Tests. Pollock had made 128 and had added 132 with Cullinan when Waqar finally breached his defences on the stroke of lunch, and although Imran and Akram were able to clean out the tail with the new ball in the afternoon, South Africa's total of 315 set Pakistan an unlikely target of 248 off 43 overs in light that was fading rapidly. Unsurprisingly, the tourists were unable to mount anything like a realistic challenge, and with 20 overs still remaining bad light and drizzle brought the match and the series to a damp, dank end.

Graeme Pollock was inevitably presented with the man of the match award, but South Africa's man of the series accolade went to Hansie Cronje, who not only contributed over 400 runs off his own bat but led the side superbly in his first series as skipper; nail biting victories in the second and fourth Tests sandwiched the most comprehensive of wins in the third, and South Africa now move back up to third place in the world rankings after languishing in fifth before the start of the series.

Scores
SAF 1st Inns
474 (Pollock 159, Richards 95, Lindsay 63, Cronje 44; Abdul Qadir 5-98)
PAK 1st Inns 542 (Asif Iqbal 151, Saleem Malik 98, Javed Miandad 80, Mohsin Khan 75)
SAF 2nd Inns 315 (Pollock 128, Cullinan 55, Cronje 46; Imran Khan 4-72)
PAK 2nd Inns 68-3

MATCH DRAWN


Man of the Match: RG Pollock

Friday, December 5, 2008

South Africa v Pakistan - Fourth Test


Newlands, Cape Town

South Africa: BA Richards, TL Goddard, *WJ Cronje, RG Pollock, AD Nourse, DJ Cullinan, +DT Lindsay, MJ Procter, NBF Mann, AA Donald, PS Heine.
Pakistan: Mohsin Khan, Mudassar Nazar, Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Saleem Malik, *Imran Khan, +Wasim Bari, Fazal Mahmood, Abdul Qadir, Waqar Younis.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: HD Bird (ENG) & LH Barker (SL)
Toss: Pakistan

At 2-0 down with two to play, Pakistan simply had to win at Newlands, and whilst South Africa named the same XI for the fourth consecutive match, the tourists made four changes in an effort to register their first victory of the tour. With Qadir finally fit, Akram injured and Asif dropped, Pakistan's bowling attack underwent a major overhaul, but it was the batting that proved the weak link once again as for the third match in succession, the side batting first was bowled out inside a day.

Imran elected to bat upon winning the toss, but after Donald's opening over went for 15 runs it was all South Africa as the Proteas' pacemen made best use of a fast paced pitch. A devastating opening spell from Procter reduced Pakistan to 25-3, and after a stand of 86 for the fifth wicket between Javed and Saleem Malik (36) gave the tourists some hope, the last six wickets fell for 61 to leave Pakistan 203 all out and Javed stranded on 99*, just the second batsman after Allan Border to suffer such a fate in ATG Tests.

Javed had been dropped on 8, and Hansie Cronje received a similar let off when South Africa came to bat, Majid Khan the culprit shortly before stumps on the first day. Cronje was on 13 at the time, and he spent most of day two making Pakistan pay as his maiden ATG century rescued his team from the prospect of an unwelcome first innings deficit. South Africa were 106-6 at one stage, but Cronje put together partnerships of 92 for the seventh wicket with Procter (25) and 69 for the eighth with Mann (25) to haul the Proteas out of trouble and into a first innings lead. Cronje eventually made 164 out of a total of 278, the very definition of a captain's innings, and Pakistan now had it all to do as the game entered day three.

The Newlands pitch had lost much of its early fire by this stage though, and with Donald's radar malfunctioning badly, Mohsin and Mudassar were able to put on 135 for the first wicket as Pakistan roared right back into contention. Both made fifties, with Mohsin in particular seeming set for a century, but Trevor Goddard removed both men either side of lunch, and the innings lost its way somewhat in the afternoon session. Mann dismissed Zaheer for 5 in controversial fashion, eventually inducing a leg side stumping after being called for three leg side wides earlier in the same over, and it was not until Majid Khan and Saleem Malik managed to add 73 runs for the fifth wicket that Pakistan got back on track.

At 275-4, Pakistan led by exactly 200 and looked like setting South Africa a stiff target, but the taking of the new ball changed things round in dramatic fashion, and for the second time in the match the tourists' lower order capitulated without much of a fight. Once Majid edged Procter behind for 68, the last six wickets tumbled for just 39 runs, and a final total of 314 meant that South Africa had five and a half sessions to score 240 and clinch the series with one Test to play. South Africa's batsmen soon began to prove that batting was easier now than on the first day, but three times they lost wickets in pairs just as a partnership had established itself, and by the close of day four the scoreboard read 177-6, and a nervy South Africa entered the final day still requiring another 63 runs to win.

There was no Cronje this time - Qadir had brought him back down to earth the previous day by bowling him first ball - and it was now down to Dudley Nourse to guide South Africa home. Nourse had been in atrocious form in the series up to this point - a return of just 29 runs in six innings meant that he was very fortunate to be in the side at all - but he chose this moment to steel himself for the challenge. Waqar removed both Procter and Mann with the new ball to leave South Africa 203-8 and still 37 short of victory, but Donald managed to cling on for the best part of an hour, allowing Nourse to eke out the runs that finally took the Proteas staggering across the line.

It had been nerve shredding stuff, but Nourse's undefeated innings of 77 had sealed the series win for South Africa, and had given them three consecutive Test victories for the first time. Pakistan meanwhile are now without a win in seven matches, their worst ever run, and they really missed the services of Wasim Akram in this game. Pride will be on the line in the final Test in Johannesburg, and Pakistan will be determined to come away with something after running the South Africans so close here.

Scores
PAK 1st Inns
203 (Javed Miandad 99*; Procter 4-38)
SAF 1st Inns 278 (Cronje 164; Waqar Younis 4-63)
PAK 2nd Inns 314 (Mohsin Khan 84, Majid Khan 68, Saleem Malik 67, Mudassar Nazar 51; Procter 4-83)
SAF 2nd Inns 242-8 (Nourse 77*, Goddard 47)

SOUTH AFRICA WON BY 2 WICKETS


Man of the Match: WJ Cronje

Saturday, November 29, 2008

South Africa v Pakistan - Third Test


Kingsmead, Durban

South Africa: BA Richards, TL Goddard, *WJ Cronje, RG Pollock, AD Nourse, DJ Cullinan, +DT Lindsay, MJ Procter, NBF Mann, AA Donald, PS Heine.
Pakistan: Mohsin Khan, Mudassar Nazar, Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, *Imran Khan, +Moin Khan, Wasim Akram, Intikhab Alam, Waqar Younis.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: HD Bird (ENG) & BC Cooray (SL)
Toss: Pakistan

After the nail biting finish at Centurion Park, the third Test in Durban turned out to be one of the most one-sided matches you could wish to witness, and come its finish, the shortest Test ever in ATG history, both in terms of actual playing time and overs bowled. Imran won the toss and immediately elected to bat on what promised to be a reasonably quick but otherwise trustworthy wicket at Kingsmead, but halfway through the first afternoon his side had been skittled for just 134 in 41.5 overs as South Africa's bowlers ran riot.

Donald and Heine removed Mohsin (0) and Mudassar (4) respectively, courtesy of a pair of questionable lbw decisions then Goddard, swinging the ball seemingly at will, scythed through the middle order with the excellent figures of 5-35. Majid Khan stroked a wonderful 80 - an innings that saw him pass 2000 career runs - to provide the only meaningful resistance for Pakistan, and by stumps South Africa were already in the lead, sitting pretty on 150-2, with Goddard (73*) and Pollock (53*) the not out batsmen.
Despite his fine form with the ball, Trevor Goddard's place in the side was under great threat coming into this game, South Africa's erstwhile skipper having scored just 198 runs at an average of 14 in his last seven Tests, but his innings here in his home town of Durban marked a most welcome return to form. Goddard added just 2 to his overnight score before glancing Wasim Akram - again Pakistan's best bowler - down the leg side and into Moin's gloves, but Pollock, who had been bowled by an Imran no ball when on 20, continued on to record his sixteenth ATG century, and cameos from Cullinan (43), Procter (37) and an unusually subdued Lindsay (25) helped see the Proteas to a final score of 323 and a lead of 189.

Pakistan now had the best part of a session to bat before the close, and by the time stumps were drawn their top order had been decimated by Mike Procter, who swung the ball both ways at great speed and was nigh on unplayable. Pakistan entered the third day on a precarious 98-4, and by lunch the game was all but over as the lower order failed to display any sort of sticking power. Boundaries flowed as the tourists tried to hit their way out of trouble, but when discipline was required, none was to be found. Most of Pakistan's batsmen made starts, but no-one could top Mohsin's 34, and when Goddard trapped Asif plumb in front for 28 with just the fourth ball after lunch, it was all over.

Pakistan had been bowled out for 176 in just 50.2 overs, and with the game not even at its halfway point, South Africa had won by an innings and 13 runs. Their innings of 323 was the lowest score ever posted to secure an innings victory in ATG Tests, and Pakistan had batted for less than 100 overs in both their innings combined. Goddard's 3-22 in Pakistan's second dig gave him a match return of 8-57 to go with his 75 with the bat, and his replacement as skipper, Hansie Cronje, could not have wished for a better start to his captaincy career. Conversely, his opposite number, Imran Khan, now has any number of problems on his hands ahead of the fourth Test in Cape Town with his side 2-0 with two to play, and his motivational skills are certain to be tested to the limit over the remainder of the tour.

Scores
PAK 1st Inns
134 (Majid Khan 80; Goddard 5-35)
SAF 1st Inns 323 (Pollock 104, Goddard 75, Cullinan 43; Wasim Akram 4-67)
PAK 2nd Inns 176

SOUTH AFRICA WON BY AN INNINGS & 13 RUNS


Man of the Match: TL Goddard

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

South Africa v Pakistan - Second Test


Centurion Park

South Africa: BA Richards, TL Goddard, *WJ Cronje, RG Pollock, AD Nourse, DJ Cullinan, +DT Lindsay, MJ Procter, NBF Mann, AA Donald, PS Heine.
Pakistan: Mohsin Khan, Mudassar Nazar, Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, *Imran Khan, +Moin Khan, Wasim Akram, Iqbal Qasim, Waqar Younis.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: VK Ramaswamy (IND) & LP Rowan (AUS)
Toss: South Africa

Whereas the first Test in Bloemfontein did not spark into life until the final day, it was lights, camera, action from the word go at Centurion Park, with Pakistan striking the first blows after Hansie Cronje won his first toss as captain and elected to bat. An uneven surface was never going to make batting easy though, and a spell of 4-11 from Wasim Akram reduced South Africa to 23-6 on a traumatic first morning for Cronje's team. Procter and Cullinan then hit back with a national record stand of 117 for the seventh wicket, with Procter eventually blasting 80 off 127 balls, an innings that included three sixes, and Donald's 24 was just the third score in double figures as South Africa were bowled out for 189 on the first evening.
Procter's wicket allowed Akram to complete a deserved five wicket haul, and whilst Mohsin and Mudassar were in the process of adding 78 for Pakistan's first wicket on day two, the tourists looked to be taking firm control of the match. Trevor Goddard was able to prise Mudassar (50), Majid (23) and Javed (12) away from the crease during a marathon spell either side of lunch though, and it was all downhill from then on for Pakistan as the innings subsided from 130-3 to 174 all out, with Iqbal Qasim unable to bat due to an ankle injury he sustained whilst bowling on the opening day.

It had been desperately tight cricket up to this point, with low bounce making it almost impossible to bat with any confidence, but the complexion of the game was about to change as Barry Richards took control on what remained of the second day. Deciding that attack was by far the best form of defence on this wicket, he smeared an undefeated 85 from 79 balls before stumps, taking South Africa to a second innings score of 115-2 from just 25 overs in the process and giving them an invaluable lead of 130 at the close. Pakistan needed to strike back early on the third morning, and with his score on 90 and the total on 131-2, Richards suffered a sickening blow in the ribs off the bowling of Imran and was forced to leave the field. Pakistan now had their opening, and by the time Richards was able to return, four wickets had tumbled for 22 runs as the reverse swing of Imran - who was on the way to career best figures of 6-53 - and Wasim began to find the target.
Richards bravely completed a magnificent century shortly before lunch, and he was eventually ninth out for 120 having coaxed 26 vital runs out of partnerships with Mann and Donald. Last man Heine then helped add 16 more with Donald before he was lbw to Akram for 8, and South Africa's total of 205 set Pakistan a target of 221 to win, a total that, if reached, would be the highest of the match. With over half the match still remaining Pakistan certainly had the time, but one could not help feeling that South Africa's wagging tail might just have tipped the balance in the hosts' favour.

Just as in the first innings Pakistan began confidently, and with Procter the only bowler to look really threatening, the score had progressed to 111-3 when the curse of 'Nelson' struck the tourists. Zaheer played on against Donald for 27, then Procter removed both Asif (11) and Imran (0) in the same over to reduce Pakistan to 126-6, still 95 adrift of victory. No further wickets fell before the close, and it was now all down to Javed Miandad to steer Pakistan home. He duly completed a hard-earned 50 on the fourth morning, but when he fell lbw to Donald almost immediately after, the game seemed up for Pakistan. Iqbal Qasim would not be able to bat, and at 154-7 just Moin, Wasim and Waqar stood between South Africa and a fantastic win.

Moin and Wasim now threw caution to the wind, and incredibly the game started to swing back towards Pakistan. Three consecutive boundaries by Wasim Akram off Mann brought the tourists to within 23 runs of the winning post, but in the next over, bowled by the nerveless Goddard, Akram tried one big hit too many and was well caught by a running Nourse on the square leg boundary for 23. Waqar was now the last man in, and eight further runs had been added when Moin, on 30, swung and missed at a slower ball from Goddard: his off stump was knocked back, and South Africa had won a magnificent match by the oh-so-slender margin of 14 runs. It had been a true rollercoaster-ride of a game, with just 32 runs encompassing all four innings totals, but the batting of Procter and Richards just outdid the bowling of Imran and Akram in the final analysis. South Africa had recovered from the dire position of 23-6 on the first morning, and new skipper Hansie Cronje maintains his undefeated record going into what is now a highly anticipated third Test in Durban.

Scores
SAF 1st Inns 189 (Procter 80, Cullinan 40; Wasim Akram 5-38)
PAK 1st Inns 174 (Mudassar Nazar 50)
SAF 2nd Inns 205 (Richards 120; Imran Khan 6-53, Wasim Akram 4-63)
PAK 2nd Inns 206 (Javed Miandad 50)

SOUTH AFRICA WON BY 14 RUNS


Man of the Match: BA Richards

Saturday, November 22, 2008

South Africa v Pakistan - First Test


Springbok Park, Bloemfontein

South Africa: BA Richards, TL Goddard, *WJ Cronje, RG Pollock, AD Nourse, DJ Cullinan, +DT Lindsay, MJ Procter, NBF Mann, AA Donald, PS Heine.
Pakistan: Mohsin Khan, Mudassar Nazar, Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, *Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Intikhab Alam, +Wasim Bari, Waqar Younis.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: VK Ramaswamy (IND) & LP Rowan (AUS)
Toss: Pakistan

An incredible final day ignited a hitherto mundane series opener where rain, bad light and over-cautious batting had combined over the course of the first four days to set up what looked like a cast-iron draw.

South Africa, fielding the recalled Procter in the XI at the expense of the injured McMillan, were inserted on a humid first morning, and after losing both openers cheaply, two sizeable stands propelled the Proteas to a reasonable first innings total of 360. New skipper Hansie Cronje contributed a confident, career-high 86 to a third wicket stand of 147 with Pollock (71), who was caught quite brilliantly by Wasim Bari on the rebound from Majid at first slip, then Denis Lindsay blitzed a 122 ball century out of a national record partnership of 152 for the sixth wicket with a subdued Cullinan (67*). Nourse's 12 was the only other double figure score though, and with Imran and the excellent Wasim Akram both picking up four wickets, and Wasim Bari five catches, both sides were probably reasonably happy at this stage.


Pakistan's first innings was also founded on two substantial partnerships: the recalled Mohsin and Mudassar immediately clicked, adding 138 for the first wicket, then Mohsin linked up with Zaheer to post 152 for the fourth wicket, with both men reaching very controlled centuries. Zaheer was the fifth man out, caught behind off Goddard for 110, but by this time Mohsin was already back in the pavilion for a wonderful 172, compiled in almost nine hours at the crease. South Africa's pace trio of Donald, Procter and Heine struggled to make an impact, and it was left to Goddard and Mann to do the bulk of the bowling. Together they returned the combined figures of 90-32-145-7, with Goddard picking up the ninth five wicket haul of his ATG career as Pakistan lost their last five wickets for 44.

As it was, the tourists' total of 442 had given them a lead of 82 on first innings, but with only one day's play remaining, the draw seemed a certainty. What a final day it proved to be though! Richards (13) and Goddard (24) both departed with the score on 42, and after Cronje (53) and Pollock (39) put together their second significant stand of the match - this time they added 77 - wickets fell steadily for the South Africans. Wasim and Waqar - who picked up his 100th ATG wicket along the way - bowled well at the top of the innings, and the swing of Asif Iqbal cleared out the tail to bowl out South Africa for 195 in just 63 overs. Procter bagged a pair on his return to the team, and had it not been for a couple of dropped catches and some stubborn late resistance from Mann (18 in 82 minutes), it could have been even more disastrous for the hosts.


Pakistan now needed 114 to win off 29 overs, but in fading light and on a pitch that was now offering up some uneven bounce, they got themselves into a right royal pickle during their chase. Mohsin found it difficult to force the pace, taking 34 balls over his 14, Javed slammed his first ball straight to Mann at mid off and Imran, who had promoted himself to number five, looked completely out of touch. At 51-4, Pakistan needed 63 off the last 10 overs, and then it was 50 off 5 with five wickets in hand, Donald having picked up all five. Akram briefly rallied with a six and a four off Donald but he eventually holed out to Richards, and Pakistan eventually finished on a shambolic 81-7, still 33 short, with Donald returning the remarkable figures of 7-35, the best for South Africa in ATG cricket.

An amazing 17 wickets had fallen on the final day, and although the match did indeed end in the widely predicted draw, the course taken to get there was far from straightforward. Hansie Cronje enjoyed a good first match as captain, contributing two fifties and standing up well to the Pakistan quicks, and the stage is now set for what could become a truly epic series.


Scores
SAF 1st Inns 360 (Lindsay 105, Cronje 86, Pollock 71, Cullinan 67*, Wasim Akram 4-79, Imran Khan 4-83)
PAK 1st Inns 442 (Mohsin Khan 172, Zaheer Abbas 110, Mudassar Nazar 63; Goddard 5-75)
SAF 2nd Inns 195 (Cronje 53; Asif Iqbal 4-35)
PAK 2nd Inns 81-7 (Donald 7-35)

MATCH DRAWN


Man of the Match: Mohsin Khan

Sunday, November 16, 2008

South Africa v Pakistan - Tour Match

South African Invitation XI v Pakistanis
St George's Park, Port Elizabeth

4 Day Game

Umpires: RGA Ashman & DV Collins

Toss: Pakistan


SAI XI: *A Melville, G Kirsten, A Bacher, AW Nourse, BL Irvine, JH Sinclair, +HB Cameron, SJ Snooke, JM Blanckenberg, AMB Rowan, CR Matthews.
Pakistanis: Mohsin Khan, Mudassar Nazar, Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, *Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Intikhab Alam, +Wasim Bari, Waqar Younis.

A slow, low pitch at St George's Park made strokeplay difficult for both teams in Pakistan's tour opener, but Imran Khan would have been largely satisfied with his side's performance ahead of the first Test in Bloemfontein. The Pakistanis took the best part of five sessions in crawling their way to a first innings total of 333, with Majid's bright 51 the best of three fifties posted by the tourists' top six, and Athol Rowan did his chances of a Test call-up no harm at all by taking 4-94 in 42 overs of honest toil.

Skipper Alan Melville - many critics' choice to take over from Goddard in the Test side - led the South Africans' reply with a composed, five hour innings of 72, but Waqar Younis tore through the lower order with the old ball to claim an excellent five wicket return on a decidedly unhelpful surface, and a South African total of 226 gave the Pakistanis a 107 run lead on first innings. The South Africans had scored at barely two runs an over though, and by the time the Pakistanis began their second dig it was well into the fourth day. With a result unlikely, Imran opted for batting practice, and Mohsin Khan (86) shared century partnerships with both Mudassar (56) and Zaheer (69*) before the declaration gave the SAI XI half an hour to bat before the close and the inevitable draw.


All of Pakistan's top six will now enter the first Test having notched fifties in this game, and with Wasim and Waqar both looking in good shape the tourists will be in a largely positive frame of mind at the start of the series. However, there was a cloud to Pakistan's silver lining; both Asif Iqbal and Intikhab Alam spent time off the field in this match with tweaks to groin and calf respectively, and the hamstring injury that ruled Abdul Qadir out of this game appears worse than first thought and may rule the leg spinner out of the first half of the series. Iqbal Qasim has been placed on standby and will most likely join the party during the first Test.

Scores
Pakistanis 1st Inns
333 (Majid Khan 51, Javed Miandad 51, Asif Iqbal 50; Rowan 4-94)
SAI XI 1st Inns 226 (Melville 72; Waqar Younis 5-66)
Pakistanis 2nd Inns 212-2 dec. (Mohsin Khan 86, Zaheer Abbas 69*, Mudassar Nazar 56)
SAI XI 2nd Inns 36-0

MATCH DRAWN

Thursday, November 13, 2008

South Africa v Pakistan - Series Preview


South Africa and Pakistan have not locked horns in the ATG arena since Season One, when reciprocal three Test series both ended in 1-1 draws. Both sides have slipped down the rankings of late after enjoying spells nearer the top of the tree, and consequently it will be everything to play for over the course of the five Tests. Following Trevor Goddard's departure from the captaincy in Australia, the South African selectors have made the bold move of appointing Hansie Cronje as skipper for this series, and all eyes will be on him as he not only tries to establish himself in the side as a batsman, but also as he attempts to convince his critics that he is worthy of holding such an elevated position.

His opposite number, Imran Khan, leads a Pakistan side that will be without Hanif Mohammad for the first time in ATG history, Hanif's run of 48 consecutive Tests ended by a poor recent record that has seen him record just one century in his last 39 innings. With fellow opener Saeed Anwar also jettisoned, Mohsin Khan and Mudassar Nazar will form a new opening partnership for Pakistan, and the hopes are high for a very tight series between two very evenly matched sides.

Pakistan squad
Imran Khan (c), Javed Miandad (v/c), Abdul Qadir, Asif Iqbal, Fazal Mahmood, Intikhab Alam, Majid Khan, Mohsin Khan, Moin Khan, Mudassar Nazar, Saleem Malik, Sarfraz Nawaz, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Wasim Bari, Zaheer Abbas.

New Zealand v India - Series Summary

A 2-0 scoreline suggests a comfortable victory for India, but truth be told New Zealand were once again guilty of squandering chances and once again they were made to pay. The Kiwis had numerous chances to kill off the Indians in the first Test, but time and again they let their grip slip, and once India completed a miraculous one wicket victory, only rain in Napier prevented the tourists from sweeping the series.

Kapil Dev was the dominant factor in India's two victories, and his form in India's last three series would indicate that he is finally establishing himself as a force in the ATG world. Pataudi's captaincy did much to erase the memories of Gavaskar's acrimonious departure in the series against England, and India suddenly appear to have a settled side again ahead of the home series against West Indies. Hazare was the only disappointment for the tourists, but his previous form probably allows him such a blip.

As for New Zealand, it is a case of back to drawing board, just as it seems to be after every series for the beleaguered Kiwis. Reid bowled well but his batting form was poor, and his tenure as captain must be in doubt once again. Collinge and Taylor had their moments with the ball, but a continued lack of penetration from the spinners again left the attack one-dimensional - there were just three wickets in the 139 overs sent down by Messrs Howarth, Patel and Bracewell - and the absence of Hadlee for the first two Tests was a huge blow for the team. There were no five wicket hauls for the Blackcaps, compared to three for the Indians, and it was the same story with the bat, where Donnelly's lone century stacked up poorly against the four made by the tourists.

New Zealand's lack of conversion with both bat and ball certainly cost them dear, and the upcoming five Tests in the Caribbean must seem a hugely daunting prospect at the moment.

Leading Series Averages

New Zealand Batting

M

I

No

Runs

HS

Avge

100

50

RJ Hadlee

1

2

-

101

57

50.50

-

1

MP Donnelly

3

6

1

242

105

48.40

1

1

MD Crowe

3

6

-

286

99

47.67

-

3

GM Turner

3

6

-

237

98

39.50

-

2

BA Edgar

1

2

-

58

58

29.00

-

1


New Zealand Bowling

Overs

Runs

Wkts

Avge

Best

5I

10M

BE Congdon

30.0

94

6

15.67

4-1

-

-

RJ Hadlee

26.4

110

4

27.50

4-101

-

-

JR Reid

87.0

236

8

29.50

3-36

-

-

RO Collinge

107.5

299

10

29.90

4-88

-

-

BR Taylor

82.0

295

8

36.88

4-84

-

-


India Batting


M

I

No

Runs

HS

Avge

100

50

M Azharuddin

2

3

-

213

110

71.00

1

1

Kapil Dev

3

5

1

276

149

69.00

1

1

SM Gavaskar

2

4

2

136

106*

68.00

1

-

SMH Kirmani

3

4

2

119

54

59.50

-

1

M Amarnath

3

5

-

218

100

43.60

1

-


India Bowling


Overs

Runs

Wkts

Avge

Best

5I

10M

Kapil Dev

121.5

329

18

18.28

5-65

1

-

M Prabhakar

86.2

227

10

22.70

5-40

1

-

S Venkataraghavan

108.0

291

10

29.10

6-100

1

-

MH Mankad

80.4

216

7

30.86

4-79

-

-

L Amar Singh

110.0

282

9

31.33

3-56

-

-



INDIA WON THE SERIES 2-0


Men of the Series: MD Crowe & Kapil Dev

Blogger template 'Greenich' by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Jump to TOP