Showing posts with label digicelcricket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label digicelcricket. Show all posts

Thursday, 19 April 2012

Rain Ends 2nd Test in Draw


Bad light and rain brought an early end to West Indies' chase of of 215 as the second Test against Australia in Port of Spain finished in a draw.

Michael Clarke declared his Australia's second innings at 160-8 early on the final afternoon after Kemar Roach completed his second five-wicket haul of the match for combined figures of 10-146.

The conditions left West Indies uncertain of the time remaining but captain Darren Sammy left nobody in any doubt as to their intentions when he came out at number three and smashed a rapid 30 not out.

Sammy had led the home side to 53-2 before the elements intervened and ended play shortly before the scheduled tea interval.

Australia lead the three-match series 1-0 heading into the final Test in Dominica on April 23-27.

Australia - who confirmed before play began that fast bowlers James Pattinson and Peter Siddle are to fly home early with back injuries - resumed on the fifth morning at 73-3, with Ricky Ponting on 32 and Clarke three.

There was little urgency in the early stages and it was more than nine overs before Ponting glanced the day's first boundary off Fidel Edwards. Two balls later he was out for 41, mistiming a hook to Kieran Powell at deep square leg.

Clarke (15) fell little more than two overs later when Sammy grabbed a sharp return catch.

Lunch arrived with the tourists 177 runs ahead, with Matthew Wade on 15 and Michael Hussey 11.

Hussey launched the first ball after tea, from Narsingh Deonarine, for six and then swept a four, signalling a change of approach.

But he was dismissed for 24 when he chopped on against Roach - who soon reached the first 10-wicket match haul by a West Indian since 2005, and their first against Australia since Curtly Ambrose achieved the feat at Adelaide in 1993.

The landmark came when Ben Hilfenhaus, promoted to number eight due to Pattinson's injury, had no answer to a fast inswinger and lost his off stump.

Nathan Lyon's dismissal for three, top-edging Shane Shillingford to Sammy, brought about the declaration with Wade remaining 31 not out.

Spinner Michael Beer was handed the new ball for Australia, as in the first innings, but it was seam bowler Hilfenhaus who trapped Powell lbw for four, a decision upheld on review.

He quickly added the scalp of Adrian Barath, who made just five before edging to Clarke at slip, and new man Darren Bravo was relieved to see his first ball drop safely behind point after taking the shoulder of the bat.

The target was exactly the same as that famously chased by England in just under three hours after Garry Sobers' adventurous declaration on this ground in 1968, when captain Colin Cowdrey set the tone with a rapid 71 from number three.

Sammy promoted himself to first drop with designs on a similar role and hit back-to-back fours off Shane Watson.

He repeated the feat off Hilfenhaus and added a six from the next ball, a slight miscue just clearing substitute fielder Peter Forrest at long-off to take Sammy to 29 from 17 balls.

But the stoppage was not long in coming and persistent rain meant the teams were forced to settle for a draw despite their best efforts.




Sunday, 8 April 2012

Windies Battle in First Test


West Indies worked their way to 179-3 before rain cut short the opening day of the first Test against Australia in Barbados.

Teenager Kraigg Brathwaite and Kirk Edwards both hit half-centuries as the hosts made slow progress after winning the toss and choosing to bat first at the Kensington Oval.

Ryan Harris, preferred to James Pattinson in the final XI, and Peter Siddle both claimed a wicket apiece for Australia, while there was also a maiden Test scalp for David Warner's leg spin.

However the tourists were left to rue three missed chances when bad weather arrived to force the players from the field after 73 overs of play.

Siddle failed to hang on to a caught-and-bowled opportunity when Braithwaite had only 10 to his name, and the same batsman was also given a repreive again 34 runs later by a diving Ricky Ponting at third slip.

Shane Watson was the unfortunate bowler on the second occasion, though he too then got a case of butter fingers in the same position as Ponting, letting Edwards off the hook.

The newly-appointed West Indies vice-captain looked set to make Australia pay until he somewhat gave his wicket away on 61, slapping a Warner long hop straight back to the part-time bowler.

Edwards' departure ended a 104-run stand for the second wicket after Adrian Barath (22) had fallen in the first session, the opener hooking Harris straight down the throat of Siddle at fine leg.

Brathwaite also failed to cash in on the let-offs, edging the 199th ball he'd faced to give Siddle a deserved wicket and provide debutant wicketkeeper Matthew Wade with his first catch behind the stumps.

The 19-year-old opener hit four boundaries in his battling knock of 57 before paying the price for playing loosely outside his off stump.

Darren Bravo, who finished proceeding unbeaten on 20, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (8no) looked untroubled up until the time rain intervened midway through the evening session.


Monday, 5 March 2012

Runako Morton 1978 - 2012


West Indies batsman Runako Morton has died in a car accident.

Reports in the Caribbean said the 33-year-old crashed into a utility pole while driving alone in central Trinidad.

Morton played in 15 Tests and 56 one-day internationals, with his last West Indies appearance coming against Australia in a Twenty20 match in 2010.

Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle tweeted: "We lost a true warrior WI cricketer. May his soul rest in peace!"

The West Indies Cricket Board said: "Our deepest condolences to Runako Morton's family. Such devastating and tragic news."