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

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