Tuesday, April 22, 2008

England v Australia - Tour Match

MCC v Australians
Lord's

4 Day Game

Umpires: F Chester & CS Elliott
Toss: MCC

MCC:
*WG Grace, H Sutcliffe, KS Ranjitsinhji, ER Dexter, DR Jardine, DW Randall, +RC Russell, PH Edmonds, GG Arnold, ARC Fraser, DE Malcolm.
AUS: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, DG Bradman, *AR Border, SJ McCabe, KR Miller, +IA Healy, AK Davidson, AA Mallett, DK Lillee, TM Alderman.

An M.C.C. team whose main selection criterion seemed to be 'ability to rile' were no match for the Australians in this tour opener, and a thoroughly professional display gave Richie Benaud's team the perfect boost before the gloves come off for real.


A sore back forced Benaud himself to sit out this game, but Allan Border led well in his stead, rotating his bowlers to good effect in both M.C.C. innings as well as contributing some valuable runs off his own bat. Herbert Sutcliffe was the only top order batsman from the home team to offer any resistance as Terry Alderman enjoyed a most profitable introduction into the Australian set-up, and had it not been for some stoical late order scrapping from Arnold (30) and Fraser (21), then M.C.C. may not have made it past 100.

As it was, a total of 160 was woefully inadequate on a basically flat wicket, a fact that Bill Lawry underlined with a most authoritative century on his return to the international fold. Bradman made just 35 before playing on against Grace, but Border and McCabe rammed home the tourists' advantage with contrasting nineties before the tail fell away in search of quick declaration runs on the third afternoon.

A total of 385 gave the Australians a lead of over 200, and this would prove to be more than enough for victory once W.G. was bowled by Mallett in the last over of the third day. Lillee and Miller ripped through the rest of the innings on the final morning, and it was all over shortly after lunch, with the tourists having secured a comfortable innings victory. Australia's bowlers in particular look to be in good form ahead of the first Test, and the anticipation is almost tangible as we approach the start of cricket's biggest series.

Scoreboard
MCC 1st Inns 160 (Sutcliffe 41; Alderman 5-51)
AUS 1st Inns 385 (Lawry 110, Border 92, McCabe 90)
MCC 2nd Inns 150 (Grace 56; Lillee 4-42)

AUSTRALIANS WON BY AN INNINGS & 75 RUNS

Saturday, April 19, 2008

England v Australia - Series Preview

Season V of ATG cricket kicks off with perhaps the most anticipated series on the calendar - The Ashes - and not only is the famous urn at stake, but it promises to be an unofficial 'world championship' of sorts, with the two sides occupying the top two positions in the world rankings. England have yet to win the Ashes in two previous ATG contests against Australia, but they begin here as favourites, having gone undefeated in nine series since losing 3-0 to the Aussies in the very first ATG series of all.

Richie Benaud retains the captaincy of a 17 man touring party, and having tasted defeat in the recent clashes with South Africa and West Indies, the Australian squad has undergone some significant reconstructive surgery. Australia's most capped player, Greg Chappell, is dropped for the first time in his ATG career, and there is also no place for ATG cricket's leading wicket taker, Bill O'Reilly, despite the fact that 'Tiger' headed the bowling averages against West Indies. Recalls are handed to Bill Lawry, Keith Miller and Steve Waugh, whilst the trio of Warren Bardsley, Ashley Mallett and Terry Alderman are included in an Australian squad for the first time.

Benaud's appointment as skipper has not been without its detractors, and both he and the previous incumbent - one Donald George Bradman - will have a lot to prove on a tour that all Australians hope will mark a long awaited return to form for the baggy green.

Australia's Ashes Squad
R Benaud (c), AR Border (v/c), TM Alderman, W Bardsley, DG Bradman, AK Davidson, IA Healy, WA Johnston, WM Lawry, DK Lillee, RR Lindwall, AA Mallett, RW Marsh, SJ McCabe, KR Miller, SR Waugh, WM Woodfull.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Statistical Highlights

As Promised, here are a few further statistical highlights from four seasons of ATG cricket:

Highest Team Total
803-2 dec. WI v IND (Kanpur, Test #90)

Lowest Team Total
30 SAF v WI (St John's, Test #155)

Highest Individual Innings
414* DG Bradman AUS vPAK (Rawalpindi, Test #41)

Best Individual Innings Bowling
10-44 Waqar Younis PAK v NZL (Hamilton, Test #149)

Best Individual Match Bowling
15-85 Waqar Younis PAK v NZL (Hamilton, Test #149)

Most Wicket-Keeping Dismissals
137 PJL Dujon (WI): 44 Tests, 135 ct, 2 st

Most Fielder Catches
67 GStA Sobers (WI): 49 Tests

If anyone is interested in any other statistics, just leave a comment and I'll post them.

Top Batsmen & Bowlers

Leading ATG run scorers after Test #156:


M

Runs

HS

Avge

100s

DG Bradman

44

5241

414*

74.87

18

RG Pollock

48

4862

252*

60.78

13

IVA Richards

47

4609

375

59.09

18

JB Hobbs

38

4315

295

67.42

14

GS Chappell

47

3578

154

43.63

9

GStA Sobers

49

3551

154

48.64

9

SM Gavaskar

39

3534

295

49.08

8

WR Hammond

39

3508

258

54.81

10

Javed Miandad

41

3409

248

47.35

8

Hanif Mohammad

44

3326

216

41.06

9



Don Bradman remains out in front in terms of aggregate, but his form over the course of Season IV faded dramatically, with only 456 runs, at an average of 45.60, coming in 6 Tests during that period. In contrast, Hobbs racked up 1068 runs at 89.00 during the season, Pollock scored 1358 at 61.73 whilst Richards hammered an incredible 1731 in 14 Tests at an average of 86.55, to secure his standing as 'batsman of the year.'


Leading ATG wicket takers after Test #156:


M

Wkts

Best

Avge

5I/10M

WJ O’Reilly

41

215

8-7

23.09

11/3

MD Marshall

46

196

6-32

25.13

5/0

TL Goddard

49

149

5-25

25.24

8/0

RR Lindwall

43

144

7-72

26.24

4/0

MJ Procter

40

142

6-52

27.70

4/0

RJ Hadlee

32

140

6-93

29.67

7/2

Imran Khan

37

136

5-49

27.97

3/0

FS Trueman

35

131

6-85

26.54

3/0

AV Bedser

36

130

8-75

28.30

5/0

Abdul Qadir

34

127

6-72

36.69

8/1



Just as in the batting table an Australian remains on top but, like Don Bradman, Bill O'Reilly has been trading somewhat on past glories, taking just 22 wickets in 6 Tests at an average of 32.23 in Season IV. The big mover has been Malcolm Marshall, whose 62 wickets cost just 23.74 apiece, a statistic which, allied with Viv Richards' form, gives a strong indication as to the reason behind West Indies' recent resurgence.

Stay tuned for the next post, which will give a rundown of a few of the other statistical records that have been created over the course of four seasons of ATG cricket.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Current Standings

Here are the standings at the end of ATG Season IV (up to Test #156):


P

W

D

L

Pts

England

43

18

15

10

53

Australia

51

22

13

16

51

South Africa

49

19

14

16

48

West Indies

49

18

15

16

46

Pakistan

44

16

13

15

46

India

40

13

10

17

40

New Zealand

36

4

12

20

22


The big change is Australia's surrender of their number one ranking to England (a situation that adds extra flavour to the upcoming Ashes series), whilst the form teams at the moment must be West Indies, with series victories over Australia and South Africa in their last two outings and Pakistan, who have lost just one of their last sixteen Tests.

Next up will be a summary of the top individual performances in the ATG world.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

West Indies v South Africa - Series Summary

With both sides having beaten Australia in recent series, the expectation was for a close fought contest here, but in reversing their 3-1 defeat when the teams last met in South Africa, West Indies enjoyed an unexpected dominance over their Springbok visitors. The tone was set by South Africa's dismissal for 80 on the first day of the series, and West Indies' bowlers remained on top, culminating in the routing of the tourists for just 30 in Antigua, a performance that is unlikely to be repeated at any time in the future.

Indeed, South Africa were dismissed for under 100 three times over the course of the series, a statistic that further underlines West Indies' dominance with the ball. Malcolm Marshall was consistency personified, and with Holding, Walsh and Garner all providing incisive support, there was simply nowhere to hide for the South African batsmen. This was never more true than in the second Test in Trinidad, where an atrocious wicket made batting a lottery, and South Africa's defeat there all but sealed their defeat in the series.

West Indies' pace attack apart, the other dominant figure over the course of the series was Viv Richards who, in the four Tests in which he played, struck three centuries at a strike rate of over 80 and simply looked a class above any other batsman. Over the course of ATG Season 4, Richards has scored 1731 runs in 14 Tests at an average of 86.55, and his seven centuries during this period have now brought him level with Don Bradman on 18 career tons, a statistic that illustrates his influence on a resurgent West Indies team.

For South Africa, Graeme Pollock was his usual consistent self, albeit with a lower batting average than normal, and Dudley Nourse showed good form in the latter half of the series, but those two apart, the Springboks' batting performances were fitful at best. Mike Procter's lack of form with both bat and ball saw him dropped for the final Test, and whilst Tayfield, Donald and Adcock all returned decent figures, there was never the persistent threat that was posed by the home attack, a fact that was compounded by a decidedly lacklustre performance in the field for much of the series.

West Indies Batting
IVA Richards 476 runs @ 95.20, GStA Sobers 255 @ 42.50, CH Lloyd 287 @ 41.00, GA Headley 283 @ 35.38, CG Greenidge 279 @ 34.88

West Indies Bowling
MD Marshall 26 wkts @ 18.88, CA Walsh 20 @ 20.30, MA Holding 25 @ 22.32, J Garner 15 @ 26.40

South Africa Batting
AD Nourse 348 runs @ 49.71, DT Lindsay 192 @ 48.00, RG Pollock 468 @ 46.80, BA Richards 353 @ 35.30, DJ Cullinan 140 @ 23.33

South Africa Bowling
HJ Tayfield 15 wkts @ 28.33, AA Donald 17 @ 28.41, NAT Adcock 12 @ 33.50, TL Goddard 11 @ 40.09, MJ Procter 7 @ 49.86

WEST INDIES WON THE SERIES 3-1

Players of the Series: MD Marshall & RG Pollock

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

West Indies v South Africa - Fifth Test


Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica

WI: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, GA Headley, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *G StA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, J Garner, CA Walsh.
SAF: BA Richards, *TL Goddard, B Mitchell, RG Pollock, AD Nourse, DJ Cullinan, +DT Lindsay, PM Pollock, HJ Tayfield, AA Donald, NAT Adcock.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: RG Gosein & HBD Jordan
Toss: South Africa

With the series result decided, reputations and pride were the commodities on the line in Jamaica, and South Africa dropped a bombshell before play began by dropping Mike Procter for the first time in his ATG career, although if truth be told Procter's lack of recent form made this a sound cricketing decision.

Another seemingly sound decision was Trevor Goddard's insertion of West Indies upon winning his fourth toss out of five, for within four overs the home side had lost both openers for ducks and were reeling at 1-2. Headley's dismissal for 13 then made the score 37-3, and South Africa's seamers were making full use of a pitch that retained a greenish hue despite the day's increasingly blistering heat.


Clive Lloyd should have been given out lbw for 11 by umpire Gosein shortly after lunch, but Donald's raucous appeal fell on deaf ears, and rather than stumbling to what would have been a calamitous 64-4, West Indies launched a counter-assault that brought the South Africans to their collective knees. Lloyd went on the rampage after his reprieve, and with Richards he helped construct a record breaking fourth wicket stand. Both batsmen powered their way to centuries on an ever-flattening wicket - Lloyd off 127 balls and Richards off 132 balls -and when Richards fell lbw to Peter Pollock shortly before the close, the pair had put on an astonishing 314 in little over four hours, West Indies' third highest stand for any wicket. Richards share was 176, an innings that brought him level with Don Bradman on 18 ATG hundreds, and stumps were drawn with West Indies sitting pretty on 358-4 off 82 overs, a remarkable comeback from 1-2.

Lloyd eventually went for a career best 170 as West Indies continued their onslaught on day two, but a commendable effort from Trevor Goddard eventually limited the hosts' final total to 496, with South Africa's skipper claiming the last five wickets to fall as the Springboks clawed back a modicum of respectability. Neil Adcock (2-66 off 28 overs) apart though, South Africa had simply not bowled well enough, and the tourists' problems were compounded as West Indies struck at regular intervals to reduce their reply to 147-6 midway through the third afternoon.

However, with the follow on now looking inevitable, Denis Lindsay set about playing one of the most audacious innings yet seen in ATG cricket, and over the course of the next three hours he blitzed his way to a stunning maiden century that dragged South Africa back into the game. He eventually played on against Garner having made 104, an innings studded with ten fours and four huge sixes, and although the last pair of Donald and Adcock couldn't nudge the Springboks past the follow on target, a statement of defiance had been made.

South Africa's total of 283 saw them asked to follow on 204 behind, but rather than fold as they had done in Antigua, Lindsay's example led to a stirring fight back over the course of the final two days. Richards and Goddard set the tone with a sprightly stand of 87 for the first wicket, and with the hosts' attack at last looking human, all of South Africa's top order made runs as the prospect of a fourth defeat in the series became ever more distant. Fifties from Richards and Pollock were trumped by Nourse's first hundred in ten Tests, and when Nourse's dismissal offered West Indies the possibility of an opening, Cullinan and Lindsay slammed the door shut with an unbroken stand of 106 for the seventh wicket, a Springbok record.


With the scoreboard reading 440-6, Goddard eventually called a close at tea on the final day, and with West Indies requiring an impossible 228 for victory the game meandered to a draw, a result that would be of far greater value to South Africa than it would to West Indies. Denis Lindsay was named man of the match for his rousing first innings century, but the dominance of West Indies' bowlers over the course of the first four Tests had already ensured a deserved series victory for the home side, and West Indies now move up to fourth and just two points behind South Africa in the ranking table, as season four of ATG cricket comes to a close.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 496 (IVA Richards 176, Lloyd 170, Sobers 43*; Goddard 5-111)
SAF 1st Inns 283 (Lindsay 104, Mitchell 65, BA Richards 43)
SAF 2nd Inns 440-6 dec. (Nourse 100, RG Pollock 77, Cullinan 61*, BA Richards 57, Lindsay 50*)
WI 2nd Inns 57-2
MATCH DRAWN


Man of the Match: DT Lindsay

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