Tue, Mar 14, 2006 page19

• India still has chance to defeat a wobbly England

  • AP
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  A half century by skipper Andrew Flintoff saved England from a collapse on Monday, but left India with a modest victory target of 144 runs on the fifth and final day of the second cricket test.

  In 35 minutes of batting before the lunch break, India reached 28 without losing any wicket.

  Wasim Jaffer was not out 15 and Virender Sehwag not out 9. India needed another 116 runs to win in 63 overs.

  

  An Indian supporter enjoys the day's play during the fourth day of the second test match between India and England at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali, Sunday.

  PHOTO: AFP

  Resuming at the overnight score of 112 runs for five wickets, England lost three quick wickets to India's rookie seamer Munaf Patel in the first hour of play.

  Patel clean bowled Geraint Jones for five, trapped Liam Plunkett leg before for 1 and bowled Matthew Hoggard for four.

  However, a 42-run ninth wicket partnership between Flintoff (51) and Stephen Harmison (13) saved England from further embarrassment.

  England was bowled out for 181 runs in its second innings as Flintoff holed out to Munaf Patel at long leg off leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, his first test wicket on debut. Flintoff's 51 included five boundaries off 106 balls.

  Captaining his side in the absence of Michael Vaughn, Flintoff scored 70 in England's first innings.

  Leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who rattled England's top order on Sunday, claimed Harmison's wicket on Monday to finish four for 70 runs. He had reached the landmark of 500 wickets in his test career in England's first innings by claiming five wickets for 76 runs.

  Patel claimed four wickets for 25 runs off 13 overs in England's second innings in his debut test.

  England was tottering on 112 for five in its second innings at the close of fourth day's play on Sunday, just 74 runs ahead after deducting India's 38-run lead in the first innings.

  Replying to England's first innings score of 300, India rode on a composed 95 from skipper Rahul Dravid to post 338.

  Kumble's burst on Sunday brought the rain-hit test match back to life despite eight hours of play being lost to showers and bad light over the first two days.

  The opening match of the three-test series ended in a draw in Nagpur last week.

  The final test is to be played in Bombay from March 18.

  Shane Bond took five wickets for 69 runs and captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul admitted his middle order "messed up" as the West Indies lost to New Zealand by 27 runs in the first cricket test at Eden Park.

  Chasing 291 for victory, the tourists reached 148 without loss before crumbling to be all out for 263 Monday, flinching against an assault of Bond's fast swing bowling. The West Indies were 246 for eight at stumps on the fourth day and returned Monday for Bond and Daniel Vettori to remove tailenders Ian Bradshaw and Jerome Taylor.

  Bond ended the match with a fast in-swinger which took the edge of Taylor's bat and cannoned onto his stumps, giving New Zealand a 1-0 lead in the three-test series.

  Openers Daren Ganga, who made 95, and Chris Gayle, who made 82, laid the platform for a West Indies win, putting on 148 for the first wicket as the West Indies chased the highest innings total of the match.

  New Zealand scored 275 and dismissed the tourists for 257 to take an 18-run first innings lead, then made 272 to leave the West Indies 291 to win with 6 1-2 sessions remaining.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    China ship used Taiwan ports for months

  • 2

    Japanese ship makes first solo trip through the Strait

  • 3

    Taiwan mulls stricter citizenship rules

  • 4

    Award winner and singer-songwriter Khalil Fong passes away at age 41

  • 5

    Taiwan to keep advanced chip tech