Cricket Tournaments

Ed Cowan’s 145 knock helped New Zealand to gain advantage over host nation Australia.

Ed Cowan

The four days tour match is being played at Allan Border Field Brisbane, from November 24 to 27, 2011.

George Bailey, the Captain of Australia A won the toss on the first morning and opted to field first with a vision to restrict the tourists within limited score.

The New Zealanders went on to score 423 runs in their first innings before they were bowled out in 97 overs at a higher run rate of 4.36 runs per over.

Brendon McCullum took the honour by smashing 146 runs off just 115 balls assisted with 6 towering sixes and 21 well timed fours.

The Young all rounder Doug Bracewell contributed 73 runs off 79 balls comprising three sixes and 9 fours as Captain Ross Taylor demonstrated a patience knock of 57 runs.

James Pattinson was the highest wicket taker for the home side with four wickets, Mitchell Starc had three victims while Ben Hilfenhaus and Ben Cutting shared one wicket each.

AustraliaA accumulated 395 runs after their innings was folded up in 109.3 overs at a net run rate of 3.60 runs per over.

Ed Cowan was the star performer with the bat with 145 runs as David Warner and Mtthew Wade contributed 65 and 53 runs respectively.

Bracewell was the leading wicket taker for the visitors by grabbing four wicket as Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Chris Martin shared two wickets each.

New Zealanders gained a minor first innings lead of 28 runs but could not capitalize that as they lost the first wicket of century maker in first innings McCullum for just five runs.

Martin Guptill played sensible cricket while occupying the crease for long and secured one end while wickets were tumbling at the other end.

He added 30 runs for the second wicket with Kane Williamson before he departed after scoring 14 runs.

The second wicket fell at 48 runs whenTaylorjoined in with Guptill and the duo was at the crease until stumps.

The New Zealanders scored 75 runs without any further loss, Guptill was unbeaten on 37 runs asTaylorwas consolidating at the other end on 14 runs.

They have an overall first innings lead of 103 runs with eight wickets still in hand.

The match will most probably end in a draw as there is just one day left in the match unless some drama occurs on the fourth day.

New Zealanders would like to have a reasonable batting practice before the first Test against Australia which will start from December 1, 2011, at Brisbane.

West Indies have scored 81 runs for the loss of two wickets againstIndiain their second innings and accumulated an overall lead of 189 runs at the end of the fourth day’s play. The third and final Test is being played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, and is heading towards a draw.

Sachin Tendulkar Missed Century Again

Earlier Tourists scored 590 runs in their first innings which included an excellent century by Darren Bravo who smashed 166 runs.

Indiagave a solid reply to the Carribeans by scoring 281 runs in 80 overs after losing just three wickets at stumps on the third day.

Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman were unbeaten at 67 and 34 runs respectively.

All eyes were set on Tendulkar who was creeping to his 100^th hundred in International cricket.

Mumbai is his home ground and every one was thrilled in anticipation of his much awaited ton.

India lost an early wicket once Laxman was caught at gully by Marlon Samuels off Fidel Edwards at 32 runs with the addition of just six runs in the overnight total.

Virat Kohli was the next batsman to join in with Tendulkar who was doing well at the other end and looked poised to achieve the unique feat.

The master batsmen punished Edwards in the 84^th over and scored 14 runs and reached seven runs away from hundred.

Whole Wankhede Stadium was stunned and no voice could be heard from any corner on the last ball of the 87^th over as Tendulkar was caught at second slip by Darren Sammy of  Ravi Rampaul on 94 runs.

Tendulkar could not believe that but that was the truth and slowly he started walking back to the pavilion as he has to wait for some other innings to achieve the mile stone.

The 38-year-old was the fifth batsman to go back to the pavilion at the total of 322 runs and the home side was still 268 runs behind the West Indian target.

MS Dhoni was the next batsman to lose his wicket after scoring mere eight runs at the score of 331 runs.

Ravichandran Ashwin played  gem of an innings batting lower down in the order and thrashed 103 runs off 118 balls which comprised two sixes and 15 fours.

The young off spinner shared 97 runs valuable partnership with Kohli who contributed 52 runs as well.

Indian innings was folded at 482 runs in 135.4 overs and they conceded a first innings lead of 108 runs.

Rampaul and Samuels were the most successful bolwers ofWest Indiesby sharing three wickets each, Sammy claimed two wickets as Edwards and Devendra Bishoo chipped in with one wicket each.

Dhoni gave a surprise to the Carribeans by introducing left arm spinner Prayash Ojha in to attack in the very first over of the second innings.

The trick paid off as the visitors lost their opener Adrian Barath for just three runs and Kirk Edwards followed him at 30 runs at his individual score of 17 runs.

Both wickets were acquired by Ojha but Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo consolidated the innings and took the score to 81 runs at stumps, they were unbeaten at 34 and 27 runs respectively.

The Test looks like heading for a draw as just one day remains in the match and India will be pleased to win the series 2-0 as they have won Two Tests already.

Misbah-Ul-Haq played Captain’s knock and remained unbeaten on 48 runs off 38 balls with a six and three fours asPakistanwon the Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka.

Misbah-Ul-Haq

The only T20 was played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on November 25, 2011.

The Lankan Lions set a target of 142 runs for victory to Pakistan on a placid wicket.

They started their innings with their regular openers Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Farhat as Tillakaratne Dilshan tossed up the ball to Lasith Malinga.

Farhat was severe on the bowlers from the word go and smashed three fours to Malinga in his first over.

The duo produced 31 runs for the first wicket when Hafeez was adjudged leg before wicket off Thisara Perera on the last ball of the fourth over.

Hafeez lost his wicket after scoring 13 runs and Farhat followed him with the addition of just five runs in the total.

The young gun Umar Akmal added the worries forPakistanas he was dismissed without opening his account.

The third wicket was lost at 44 runs in 6.3 overs when Misbah-Ul-Haq came to the crease and joined Asad Shafiq.

They put their heads down, consolidated the innings with occasional boundaries every now and added 46 runs for the fourth wicket.

Asad lost his wicket after scoring 33 runs of even balls when Shahid Afridi entered on the field.

They shared a valuable partnership of 43 runs and Afridi contributed 22 runs off 15 balls which included two sixes in the 19^th over.

Pakistanachieved the target on the third ball of the 19^th over, thanks to an overthrow on the first ball of the 20^th over.

Earlier Sri Lanka won the toss, elected to bat on a perfect batting wicket while the innings was opened by Upul Tharanga and Captain Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Pakistan started attack with the seasoned Umar Gul who bowled two consecutive wide balls but recovered well by ending up the over while conceding just four runs.

Sohail Tanvir started off the over in the identical fashion following Gul by delivering two wides and was punished by Dilshan for 16 runs including two fours.

Tharanga took charge from the other end by rolling the ball twice over boundry and scored 10 runs off Gul.

Aizaz Cheema was given the charge of bowling in the fourth over and he bowled Tharanga on the second ball after he had scored 12 runs.

Young Dinesh Chandimal came in next, joined Dilshan and the tempo of scoring was lifted by the duo.

Sohail was punished again in the fifth over for 15 runs and fifty of the innings was achieved as well.

Misbah-Ul-Haq brought in magical off spinner Saeed Ajmal to control the game and he got the important wicket of Dilshan who was caught smartly at short midwicket by the skipper for 28 runs off 15 balls which included 4 fours.

The second wicket fell at 61 runs in 5.3 overs which was a good going for Sri Lanka when Kumar Sangakkara appeared on scene.

Sangakkara could not perform well and went back to the pavilion after scoring nine runs and Pakistan never looked back from there.

Chandimal showed some resistance to the lethal bowling attack of Pakistan by smashing 56 runs off 44 balls with 6 fours as the middle order and tail vanished, the whole Sri Lankan team was bowled out at 141 runs off 19.3 overs.

Cheema was the star performer for Pakistan by grabbing four wickets, Gul claimed two while Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez shared one wicket each.

Pakistan won the nail biter by five wickets with three balls to spare and Cheema was declared ‘Player of the match’.