sign in sign up
<<
Home , Anwar Ali (cricketer), Mohammad Irfan, Raza Hasan, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal

SPORTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014

Kohli, Vijay score half-tons as India draw tour game

ADELAIDE: India’s batsmen gained valu- able match practice as their two-day tour match against a Australia XI end- ed in a draw in Adelaide yesterday. The tourists compiled 375 off 90 overs with stand-in (66), Murali Vijay (60), Ajinkya Rahane (56) and Wriddhiman Saha (51) all scoring half- centuries. The local selection finished the match at 83 for five off 21 overs with Test pace- man Ishant Sharma taking two for eight off five overs in an encouraging lead in to Tuesday’s opening Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Vijay and Kohli both retired before lunch after reaching their half-centuries and to enable some of the other batsmen to get valuable practice ahead of the opening Test. The CA XI were made to pay for drop- ping Kohli on Thursday’s opening day, when the stand-in skipper edged his first to Ashton Turner at the first slip. Vijay and Kohli shared a 123-run stand, steadying India’s innings after the tourists slumped to 36 for two on the opening day. DUBAI: Pakistani batsmen Sarfraz Ahmed (right) and run between the during the first International T20 cricket In the corresponding fixture at the match at Dubai International Stadium. — AFP same venue last week, the opener and No.4 batsman also looked a class above most of their teammates. Tasmania paceman Evan Gulbis tested hold firm the duo with a series of short-pitched deliveries. Vijay wore one bouncer on the body that flicked up and hit the hel- met, but composed himself quickly. to draw second Test Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav shared the new ball in CA XI’s second innings with Aaron following up his first DUBAI: Opener Sarfraz Ahmed made a best 37-ball 48 by Corey Anderson after Taylor for just four. Pakistan’s two left-arm innings haul of four for 41 with one for career best 76 to guide Pakistan to they were put into bat on a flat Dubai sta- pacemen (2-24) and 28 off six overs, while Yadav claimed one a comfortable seven win over New dium pitch. (2-27) shared the bowl- for 30 off five overs. “Players will proba- Zealand in the first of two inter- Anderson lifted his team from a precari- ing honours. bly be talking about what they saw and nationals in Dubai on Thursday. ous 15-3 with a 46-run stand for the fourth Afridi, Raza Hasan and also did, which will be passed onto other Chasing a modest 136-run target, wicket with opener Martin Guptill (32) and took a wicket each.New Zealand were (Test) players,” CA XI coach Troy Cooley Pakistan were lifted by Ahmed’s 64-ball another 51 for the fifth wicket with Luke without their regular skipper Brendon said. “It’s a great little network of infor- innings which had eight fours and two six- Ronchi who made 33. McCullum who along with paceman Trent mation being transferred. We’ll make es as they completed the win in 19.1 overs Anderson hit four towering sixes and a Boult and Tim Southee left for home after sure the most up to date information is for a 1-0 lead. boundary, bettering his previous highest the drawn 1-1 Test series. Both teams also given to our big brother.” The second and final Twenty20 will also of 20 not out against the Netherlands in play a five-match one-day series, the first Assistant coach Ali de Winter attend- be played in Dubai late yesterday. Ahmed Chittagong earlier this year. New Zealand of which will be played in Dubai on ed India’s tour game last week, when added a quick 51 for the first wicket with lost Williamson for first-ball and Ross Monday. — AFP express paceman Aaron sent down some Awaiz Zia who made 20 with two bound- impressive spells. aries and then continued the good work “He’s got some notes for Boof (Test with a dominating 43-run stand for the SCOREBOARD coach Darren Lehmann) to take away,” fourth wicket with Umar Akmal who made Cooley said. “There’s plenty of informa- a 24-ball 27 not out. Akmal finished the DUBAI: Scoreboard of the first between Pakistan and New tion for the boys, obviously India’s series match with a huge six off Jimmy Neesham. Zealand played at Dubai international cricket stadium on Thursday: in England earlier this year. “We’ll just In between Pakistan lost Mohammad New Zealand 2-0-15-0, Afridi 4-0-27-1 top it up with a little bit of stuff from Hafeez (two) and (11) but M. Guptill b Afridi 32 Pakistan there.” Sarfraz kept one end intact and bettered K. Williamson lbw b Ali 0 Sarfraz Ahmed not out 76 Injured India captain MS Dhoni was his previous best of just five in his previous Awaiz Zia run out 20 expected to join the tourists today. An four . A. Devcich lbw b Tanvir 1 run out 2 India spokesperson said it was too early “It was a positive and aggressive deci- R. Taylor c Akmal b Irfan 4 H Sohail c McCullum b McClenaghan 11 to say what Dhoni’s chances of playing sion to field first. The bowlers did well and C. Anderson c Nasim b Hasan 48 Umar Akmal not out 27 the first Test are, but the wicketkeeper is then Sarfraz was outstanding,” said L. Ronchi b Tanvir 33 Extras: (b1, lb1, w2) 4 expected to miss the game as he recov- Pakistan skipper of his team’s J. Neesham c Akmal b Irfan 6 Total: (for three wkts; 19.1 overs) 140 ers from a wrist injury. 50th win in 84 Twenty20 matches. New N. McCullum not out 1 Fall of wickets: 1-51 (Zia), 2-60 (Hafeez), 3-97 India have won just three and lost 14 Zealand’s stand-in skipper Kane A. Milne not out 2 (Sohail) of their 23 Tests away from the sub-con- Williamson blamed the loss of early wick- Extras: (b2, lb1, nb1, w4) 8 : Henry 4-0-31-0 (1w), McClenaghan 4- tinent in the last four years, enduring 4- ets for a below-par total. Total: (for seven wkts; 20 overs) 135 0-21-1, Milne 4-0-18-0, Devcich 0 routs in England and Australia in 2011 “There were things that went wrong, Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Williamson), 2-10 (Devcich), 2-0-19-0, McCullum 4-0-26-0 (1w), Anderson 1- and a 3-1 drubbing in England earlier we lost early wickets and then couldn’t 3-15 (Taylor), 4-61 (Guptill), 5-112 (Anderson), 0-17-0, Neesham 0.1-0-6-0 this year. The series opener in Adelaide pick up wickets with the ball. But it’s great 6-128 (Neesham), 7-130 (Ronchi) Result: Pakistan win by seven wickets. will be followed by Tests in Brisbane, to have a look at all the players with so Bowling: Ali 2-0-15-1, Tanvir 4-0-24-2 (1w), Irfan Melbourne and Sydney. — AFP much cricket to come,” said Williamson. 4-0-27-2 (1nb, 2w), Hasan 4-0-24-1 (1w), Hafeez New Zealand owed their total to a career