Cricket Life

Scorecard and Video Highlights  At Fatullah, April 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 2006. Australia won by three wickets. Toss: Bangladesh. The day began like any other in Dhaka. Just over the fence of the Australians' hotel, children bathed in a green-tinged swamp; on the streets, rickshaw-wallahs fought over who was in whose lane; and at the Syderbad junction, where buses, rickshaws, baby taxis and cars burst out of Dhaka, Australia's champions had to wait, like everyone else, for the chaos to subside before their lime-green bus could push through to Fatullah, some 15 kilometres out of the capital. Already, the sun was beating down, eager to break through the smog, as the bus snaked through the seething city streets to the narrow, unsealed roads of Narayanganj, past the thatched-roofed, mud-floored chai stalls with their tiny television sets, under a grand bamboo gate covered with pleated white cloth, and into the Fatullah Stadium - Test cricket's 93rd venue, replacing ...

Scorecard and Video Highlights  At Brisbane, November 22, 23, 24, 25, 26. Australia won by 123 runs. Toss; West Indies. Test debuts: M. T. G. Elliott, M. S. Kasprowicz. Campbell, whose previous highest score on the tour was 22, made a last-day century and almost saved this match for West Indies. But Bevan, who had never taken a Test wicket as a spinner, took three - including Campbell's - to win it. Meanwhile, Lara and Warne, the celestials in whose hands the match was thought to rest, were by their usual standards little more than bystanders. Thus was established the series' theme: a predictable enough end achieved by one entirely predictable means or agents. Doubts clouded the prelude. Taylor and Warne were still recovering from off-season surgery and their confrères from a disastrous tour of India. Australia had two new caps, Elliott, the Victorian left-hander, and Kasprowicz, the Queensland pace bowler. Michael Slater's omission caused a sensa...

Scorecard and Video Highlights  At Cape Town, March 16, 17, 18, 2006. Australia won by seven wickets. Toss: South Africa. Test debut: S. R. Clark. Players play and groundsmen prepare pitches. Or that's the theory. But when the South African team arrived in Cape Town before the First Test, they decided to get involved with pitch preparation. Senior players persuaded team management to encourage Christo Erasmus, the head groundsman, to give the pitch an unscheduled watering two days before the match started - despite his insistence that it was a good batting surface that would not especially take spin. The South Africans had just one man in mind, and to their eyes the bare patches looked terrifying and the small cracks cavernous. After dominating South Africa's batsmen for more than a decade, Shane Warne (and his reputation) had once again influenced the outcome of the match - before he had even had a net. Australia may not have had Glenn McGrath, but th...

Scorecard and Video Highlights Toss: West Indies. It could be argued that this match, which gave West Indies a 2-1 lead in the series with one Test to go, was lost by England when their selection committee chose not to include Botham, even though his fitness was no longer in doubt and the previous Test, at Trent Bridge, had cried out for the inspiration of his joie de vivre . The Edgbaston pitch, which favoured seam throughout, would have been better suited to Botham's medium-pace swing than to his county colleague, Illingworth, a lesson which was driven home with brutal force on the fourth afternoon, when Richards ended the match with a straight six off the Worcestershire left-arm spinner. Indeed, the first act of the game, after the start had been delayed 75 minutes by overnight rain, made the point clear. Richards won the toss and, after his customary trip back to the dressing-room for advice, asked England to bat. The opening ball from Ambrose, not one t...

Scorecard and Video Highlights Australia 350 for 4 (Marsh 112, Watson 93, White 57) beat India 347 (Tendulkar 175, Raina 59, Watson 3-47, McKay 3-59) by three runs Nobody does solos better than Sachin Tendulkar, nor, perhaps, has anyone endured as much heartbreak during those solos. It was India of the 90s all over again: Tendulkar almost chased 351 on his own but, with the target in sight, he got out and the rest choked, falling short by three runs with two balls still to go. In Chennai in 1998-99, Tendulkar, having played an innings as incredible as this, left the last three wickets 17 to get; tonight he left them 19 off 17. With Praveen Kumar hitting a six over long-off and then taking sensible singles, it seemed things would finally change for Tendulkar. With five required off the last three, Praveen - batting with No. 11 Munaf Patel - hit to wide of long-off, came back for a second, and was run out by a split frame. Had Praveen dived, or had the throw from Na...

Scorecard and Video Highlights New Zealand 350 for 9 (McMillan 117, McCullum 86*, Fulton 51) beat Australia 346 for 5 (Hayden 181*, Watson 68) by 1 wicket Craig McMillan and Brendon McCullum blasted New Zealand to another massive run-chase as they negated Matthew Hayden's 181 and inflicted a cleansweep on Australia at Hamilton. The home team flew to 350 with only one wicket to spare on the back of McMillan's 117 and his 165-run partnership with McCullum. Their second-innings 340 at Auckland on Sunday - which was the second-highest chase in ODI history - was bettered again as McMillan showed contempt for the Australia attack despite coming to the crease at 4 for 41. He brought up his first limited-overs century since 2002 with two consecutive sixes off Adam Voges' left-arm orthodox spin, reaching the milestone from only 67 balls, which was the fastest by a New Zealander. He fell with 66 runs needed but McCullum took up the attack and with seven to w...

Scorecard and Video Highlights At Karachi, August 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 2003. Pakistan won by seven wickets. Toss: Pakistan. Test debuts: Mohammad Hafeez, Shabbir Ahmed, Umar Gul, Yasir Hameed; Rajin Saleh. Test cricket returned to Pakistan after a gap of nearly 16 months, but the spectators still stayed away. Although the official attendance was not counted, on each of the five days police and security men outnumbered the few hundred spectators. Unusually for a Test involving Bangladesh, those who turned up saw cricket which was generally competitive and sometimes riveting. Bangladesh showed remarkable tenacity, and the eventual seven-wicket margin of their defeat did not reflect the real picture. At the end of the third day, the underdogs were 105 runs ahead with seven second innings wickets in hand. Rashid Latif, the captain of Pakistan, admitted it was the worst sleepless night of his career. But on the next day, Bangladesh's inexperience showed. As the...

Scorecard and Video Highlights A savage onslaught by Herschelle Gibbs guided South Africa to an embarrassingly one-sided ten-wicket win over Bangladesh in the second one-day international at a sun-drenched Willowmoore Park. Gibbs cracked an unbeaten 97 off just 66 balls as South Africa reached their target of 155 with almost 30 overs to spare. Gibbs began his innings looking for a record his fourth consecutive one-day century. In the end he fell one stroke short. Needing a four to reach his goal, and just one to win the match, he drove Alok Kapali straight but the ball was fielded ten yards in from the boundary. A second straight Man of the Match award was some consolation for Gibbs. Perhaps it was all for the best as it would have been a rather devalued record. Of his three previous centuries, two had come against one-day minnows - Kenya and Bangladesh. An early finish was almost guaranteed from the moment that Shaun Pollock won the toss and put Bangladesh in. Jave...

Scorecard and Video Highlights A record-equalling third consecutive one-day international century from Herschelle Gibbs was the highlight as South Africa crushed Bangladesh in predictable style at Potchefstroom. Gibbs breezed to a career-best 153 off only 131 balls as South Africa reached 301 for 8. In reply Bangladesh laboured to 133 - although that represented a decent recovery from 43 for 6 - with Makhaya Ntini slicing through the top order to end with 3 for 20 and Jacques Kallis cleaning up the tail to take 4 for 33. As expected, there wasn't even the hint of a contest. The dismissal of Al Sahariar, Bangladesh's No. 3, summed up the gaping chasm between the sides. Ntini dropped one in short, and Sahariar turned his back on the ball while leaving his bat hanging vertically. It skewed off the side of the bat, and Kallis, running back from slip, took a stunning one-handed catch at the full extent of his dive. That left Bangladesh 10 for 2 in the sixth o...

Scorecard and Video Highlights New Zealand 251 (Sinclair 66. Styris 51, Cairns 34) beat Bangladesh 167 for 7 by 83 runs While both teams had difficulties on the slow pitch at the Bangabandhu ground, New Zealand struggled less, and won the final match of the three-match series by 83 runs. It had been a difficult strip to play on: only Scott Styris, Craig McMillan and Chris Cairns handled it well. They snatched back the initiative after Bangladesh had prised out their top order. In the end, their contribution during the late overs - 99 runs in the last ten - took the game out of Bangladesh's reach. Styris scored 51, a responsible innings that gave his side stability after they were reduced to 105 for 4. He and McMillan put on 86 runs for the fifth wicket, and made the runway ready for a take off. That Cairns took off the way he did where others struggled to score was as astonishing as the distance of his hefty blows. In 16 balls, he smacked 34 runs. It was the thi...

Scorecard and Video Highlights  At Dhaka, October 19, 20, 21, 22, 2004. New Zealand won by an innings and 99 runs. Toss: Bangladesh. Test debut: Nafis Iqbal. The first seven overs of the opening day set the tone for the match and the series. Having opted to bat in ideal conditions, Bangladesh lost their first three wickets for just five runs in the space of 39 deliveries, handing New Zealand an initiative they never relinquished. Hannan Sarkar , who shares with Sunil Gavaskar the dubious distinction of having been dismissed off the first ball of a Test three times, narrowly missed claiming the record outright, edging the third ball of the match from Oram to first slip. Javed Omar and debutant Nafis Iqbal soon followed, to leave Bangladesh in disarray. A partial recovery was effected by Rajin Saleh and Mohammad Ashraful, who added 115. Ashraful was the more aggressive: though he was dropped on five, his fluent 67 featured three sixes and eight fours before he became...

Scorecard and Video Highlights Toss: England. Test debut: Pakistan - Rashid Latif. A game billed as The Showdown Test became instead a perfect showcase for the awesome fast bowling talents of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Pakistan won 15 minutes before lunch on the fourth day, a more comprehensive victory than even they could have dared hope for - and the crowning triumph of the summer for their captain Javed Miandad. At last, Miandad was captain in his own right - the unchallenged leader of a young, multi-talented team that no longer needed, or wanted, the paternal and patrician guidance of Imran Khan. Fittingly, too, Imran's record of 21 wickets in a series for Pakistan in England was equalled by Wasim and broken by Waqar, who claimed one more. Their combined total of 43 wickets was the main reason why Pakistan won their fourth successive series against England; at The Oval their haul of 15 left the home nation shattered and outclassed. England's select...

Scorecard  At Lord's, May 27. England won by seven wickets. Toss: England. A third-wicket stand of 213 in 31 overs between Fairbrother and Hick, a record for any wicket in one-day internationals in England, made light of a substantial target and gave the home side a clean sweep in the three-match series. England brought in Lawrence--their only player in the tournament without a first-class hundred--and newcomer Reeve for Lamb, who had bruised his instep at Manchester; for West Indies, Lara replaced Greenidge. The tourists recovered well from the early loss of both openers, Simmons to a fine catch off the inside edge by Russell, but only Logie reached 50. They looked to be 15 to 20 runs short of a winning total, until Gooch was brilliantly run out by Hooper from backward point and Atherton also departed by the fifteenth over. Hick and Fairbrother might have gone, too, before they settled, but the one went on to his first fifty and the other to his maiden hundred...

Scorecard At Manchester, May 25. England won by 9 runs. Toss: West Indies. An excellent all-round performance by England won the Texaco Trophy with a match to spare. Again their opponents conceded too many extras-40-and they were also handicapped by the injury to Greenidge's knee while he was fielding; this was to end his tour. In cloudy condition Richards put England in, perhaps hoping for swing; but Gooch, who hit four fours, and Atherton (six fours) put on 156 in 38 overs, a record for England's first wicket against West Indies, and the foundation of their highest score against them. When they were out in successive overs, Lamb, with 62 in 50 balls and ten fours, added 102 in thirteen overs with Hick, and there was just time for Ramprakash, making his début in place of the injured Botham, to open his account. The tourists started uncertainly, but a stand of 121 in 25 overs between Richards, who hit two sixes and six fours in 84 balls, and Hooper mainta...

Scorecard At Birmingham, May 23, 24. England won by one wicket. Toss: England. Atherton's diligence in making the only fifty of the match, after winning a close run-out decision when he was 13, and West Indies' profligacy in conceding 43 extras provided the bulk of England's winning total. Returning to the international arena after 21 months, Botham made good use of muggy weather; he had Richardson caught at cover with his second ball and, putting behind him the disappointment of having Richards dropped at slip, went on to record his best bowling figures in 99 limited-overs internationals. Only an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 52 in ten overs between Ambrose and Walsh took Richards's men past 127, their lowest one-day score against England. However, the total looked healthier when Gooch was out to his first legitimate ball. Hick, making his international début on his 25th birthday, looked nervous, and struck just one boundary in 49 balls before b...

Scorecard and Video Highlights At Perth, January 16, 17, 18, 19, 2008. India won by 72 runs. Toss: India. Test debut: C. J. L. Rogers. This was a memorable match for India, who turned the tables to inflict Australia's first Test defeat at the WACA since 1996-97, and their first on home soil since India won in Adelaide in December 2003. It meant that Ponting's search for a 17th consecutive Test victory, to beat Australia's own world record of 16, was derailed by India, just as Steve Waugh's side had been at Kolkata in 2000-01. To complete a wonderful game for Anil Kumble, India's captain, he became only the third bowler to take 600 Test wickets. Few foresaw this defeat, particularly while the home camp was trumpeting in the lead-up that the pitch had regained its fearsome pace and bounce of former years. It had not, but a very good cricket wicket produced four enthralling days' play. For India to become the first Asian side to win in what had ...

Scorecard and Video Highlights Mohammad Hafeez became the second Pakistani after Zaheer Abbas to make three hundreds in a bilateral ODI series as his side took an unbeatable 3-1 lead over Sri Lanka. Victory was set up by Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, who limited Sri Lanka to 225 on a docile Abu Dhabi pitch after Angelo Mathews chose to bat following two losses while chasing. The change of strategy did not work as Sri Lanka's batting floundered, before their innings was propped up by debutant Ashan Priyanjan's first half-century and Kumar Sangakkara's 83rd. The duo revived Sri Lanka after Gul had reduced them to 36 for 3, but the innings derailed again after Sangakkara's run-out made it 125 for 4 in the 29th over. Priyanjan hit a sparkling 74, the highest by a Sri Lanka debutant, which was laced with aggressive shots, but fell three balls into the batting Powerplay, missing an adventurous scoop to fine leg off Junaid Khan. That did it for Sri Lanka, and thoug...

Scorecard and Video Highlights Passive on Wednesday, punishing on Friday - Sri Lanka's top order were fearsome in their defence of the top Twenty20 team ranking, as they slammed 211 for 3 to set up a 24-run, series-levelling win. The total was the highest ever against Pakistan, and was held together by Kusal Perera's 59-ball 84, which began in a breakneck 100-run stand with Tillakaratne Dilshan, and finished in a blazing 78-run partnership with Kumar Sangakkara in the late overs. Sri Lanka's reticence in the first match had allowed Pakistan's bowlers to strike a comfortable rhythm, but this time, their intent to define the action was unmistakable from the outset. Pakistan played two inexperienced seam bowlers in their attack once more, but Sri Lanka's openers shredded had Bilawal Bhatti's confidence and pummelled Usman Khan by the end of the Powerplay. A six and a four over point off Perera's swift blade heralded the onslaught, before T...

Scorecard and Video Highlights India 356 for 9 (Dhoni 148, Sehwag 74) beat Pakistan 298 (Razzaq 88, Youhana 71, Nehra 4-72) by 58 runs Mahendra Singh Dhoni's maiden international century, a rousing 148 at No. 3, on the back of a typically belligerent 74 from Virender Sehwag, took India to a mammoth 356 for 9 and set up a 58-run win, giving them a 2-0 lead in this six-ODI series. On a heartbreaker of a pitch for bowlers 654 runs were rattled off in 94.1 overs, but most of them were India's, batting first, and the head of pressure this built up on Pakistan proved their undoing. To chase 357 a team needs at least one batting miracle. Two Pakistani batsmen - Abdul Razzaq (88) and Yousuf Youhana (71) - got close to pulling off miracles, but fell short in the mad scramble to score quickly enough to keep the required run-rate in check. India's bowlers were more than adequate - the fast men endeavoured to stick to a decent length while the spinners took as m...

Scorecard and Video Highlights At Bangalore, March 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 2005. Pakistan won by 168 runs. Toss: Pakistan. If his team had held out, Sourav Ganguly would have been the first Indian captain to win back-to-back Test series against Pakistan. Instead, he was booed as they lost a fascinating match to charged-up opponents, who somehow levelled a series in which they had largely been outplayed. India reached lunch on the final day with only one wicket down, but were bowled out with six overs to go. "I see the series as one that got away," said Indian coach John Wright. "When you're expecting a victory and don't get it, it leaves an empty feeling." The crowd knew what he meant. It was not exactly honours even, as only one team felt satisfied. "This was good for Pakistan. Our young boys needed this," said Inzamam-ul-Haq. So did their older boys. In the fickle world of Pakistan cricket, a record of five losses in the seven Tests since coa...

Scorecard and Video Highlights At Mohali, March 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 2005. Drawn. Toss: India. Though Pakistan's supporters were delighted by the welcome from their hosts, their team found the hospitality stopped at the boundary. Pakistan struggled against Balaji's full length and late swing in the first innings, and their poor catching allowed India, particularly Sehwag, to assume control and build a 204-run lead. When Pakistan slumped to ten for three on the fourth morning, defeat seemed certain and the shops even more inviting. But India relaxed their grip. Pakistan closed the day on 257 for six, 53 ahead, and the overnight pair were to save them. A maiden Test century by the 23-year-old wicketkeeper, Kamran Akmal, was matched by a focused innings from Abdul Razzaq. Between them, they added 184, a seventh-wicket record for Pakistan against India, to ensure the draw and leave the home coach, John Wright, bemoaning his team's lack of a killer instinct. It was ...

Scorecard and Video Highlights Toss: Australia. Test debut: M. P. Bicknell England lost the Ashes and, within minutes, their captain too when Graham Gooch honoured his promise to resign. In his final, most unwanted, press conference he explained haltingly: "It is the best way forward... the team might benefit from fresh ideas, a fresh approach, someone else to look up to." His departure was inevitable. This was his 34th Test in charge and, though ten of those ended in victory, this was England's eighth defeat in their last nine. It was by far the most comprehensive and, six weeks earlier, Gooch had said he would go if there was no improvement. Ironic, though, that it should all end so meekly at Headingley where, in the two previous summers, Gooch had made defiant, match-winning centuries against West Indies and Pakistan. But this was not the Headingley he knew and loved, the pitch which traditionally transforms the tidy English seam bowler into a mo...