All Today’s Yesterdays – October 28 down the yearsOctober 27 | October 291986
An astonishing West Indian collapse left Pakistan on the brink of victory in the first Test at Faisalabad. West Indies were chasing 240 to win a game they had largely dominated, but they closed in disarray on 43 for 9. The last rites were administered the next morning when they were bowled out for 53, their lowest total until Australia skittled them for 51 in Trinidad in 1998-99, and still the lowest in a Test in Pakistan. It was one of only eight defeats (in 82 matches) suffered by West Indies in the 1980s, and in most spin had a big part to play. For Bob Holland, Narendra Hirwani and Allan Border, read Abdul Qadir here: he tore through the middle order to take 6 for 16.1963
Rob Bailey, who was born today, was rather unlucky to play only four Tests for England, all of them against West Indies in their prime. He is best remembered for an infamous incident in Barbados on the 1989-90 tour, when he was given out caught down the leg side. Wisden Cricket Monthly’s editorial castigated “the antics of the West Indies captain (Viv Richards), all dignity cast to the wind as he displayed his ‘ceremonial dance’, orgasmic gesticulations every one of which was a denial of the belief that this is a game for mature, controlled men”. Bailey did not play for England again after that tour.1994
Another one-day hundred from Sachin Tendulkar led India to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand at Baroda. Ken Rutherford’s first one-day ton, in his 103rd match, had helped the Kiwis to an imposing 269 for 4, but Tendulkar and Manoj Prabhakar replied with a first-wicket partnership of 144, and India eased home with 11 balls to spare.1985
Sterling work from Ravi Ratnayeke could not save Sri Lanka from an eight-wicket defeat in the second Test against Pakistan at Sialkot. Ratnayeke took 8 for 83 in Pakistan’s first innings, the best figures by a Sri Lankan bowler at the time and still third only to Murali’s 9 for 51 at Kandy in 2002 and 9 for 65 at The Oval in 1998. But Imran Khan trumped him with match figures of 9 for 95, as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 157 and 200. Pakistan knocked off the 99 needed for victory with a day and a half to spare2000
Yet another ton for that under-rated one-day player Gary Kirsten as he helped South Africa to a five-wicket win over New Zealand at Kimberley. Kirsten’s 101 led the South Africans to 289 for 5. In the age of pinch-hitting Kirsten was living proof that there was still a place for the orthodox opener in the shorter game.1962
Birth of the Dutchman who put the skids under England’s Ashes dreams. Peter Cantrell was born in Gunnedah in Australia, and played for Holland in the 1996 World Cup, but is best remembered for his part in England’s first-Test defeat at Brisbane in 1990-91. He was hurriedly called up as a substitute fielder (he’d been at a nightclub until 3am that morning) and took two catches – one a blinder to do Alec Stewart – as England collapsed fatally for 114 in their second innings. Cantrell’s presence was slightly controversial, given that he was probably the best gully fielder in Australia at the time and that the less sure-fingered Carl Rackemann was the official 12th man.Other birthdays
1913 Cyril Christiani (West Indies)
1929 Tom Puna (New Zealand)
1938 Peter Carlstein (South Africa)
1952 Flavian Aponso (Netherlands)

New Zealand’s hopes of getting a good start to their women’s Test match with India at Vapi, took a blow, almost from the outset. Asked to bat on a pitch that offered little suggestion of how it would play, the lost two key wickets to disappointing decisions.Kate Pulford, one of the opening batsmen, was adjudged to have edged the ball behind when her bat was well away from the ball after only five balls and her fellow opener, Maria Fahey was given out caught bat-pad off her toe. The road to recovery was a slow grind and the scoring rate barely reached two runs per over throughout the 94 overs bowled.Katey Martin, who was one of six New Zealand women making their Test debut, settled in for the long haul. There was a significant disappointment when Maia Lewis, New Zealand’s captain, started aggressively but was caught out from the bottom edge for only nine runs.Martin was joined by Haidee Tiffen and they grafted their way to 81 before Martin, in sight of a half-century on debut, played back to Neetu David, the left-arm spinner, and was caught behind for 46, scored off 139 balls in 176 minutes of batting.The message was to build partnerships, but at every stage they seemed to be developing, a wicket was lost. Tiffen produced a monumental display of control, given her attacking bent, and by stumps she had batted for 264 minutes for her unbeaten 38.New Zealand were disappointed that they had not been able to score faster and at stumps were left in No Man’s Land on 141 for 7. The pick of the Indian bowlers was Nooshin Al Khadeer who took 3 for 36 from her 27 overs. Neetu David took 2 for 37 from 29 overs.

The Indian women’s team has pooh-poohed suggestions that poor umpiring played a part in the drawn one-off Test against New Zealand at Vapi. A senior member of the Indian think-tank said: “There was one decision that went against them, but that means nothing. When they were bowling, they were appealing for everything. Even when there was no chance of a dismissal they would go up, especially their keeper.”There has been a suggestion that the New Zealand team were upset with the decision that went against Kate Pulford, their opening bat. In the second innings, a sharp delivery from Neetu David, the left-arm spinner, turned across the face of the bat as Pulford shaped to play. A loud shout for caught behind was upheld. Slow-motion replays showed that the ball may not have hit the bat – but anyone who saw the replay would have to admit that there was enough doubt for the decision to go either way.”To complain about the standard of umpiring simply based on one dismissal is silly,” said an official. “The New Zealand team appealed so much that the umpires got wise. Beyond a point, they were appealing for everything, and became frustrated that things were not going their way. That, more than anything, was the cause of complaints.”The slow, low-scoring Test ended in a draw. The teams now play a five-match one-day series, which starts in Mumbai on Thursday (Dec 4).

Craig Wishart has been ruled out of the VB Series with a knee injury, and will be replaced by Dion Ebrahim. Wishart originally damaged his left knee while batting in last Sunday’s match against Western Australia at Perth, and after consultations with specialists in Adelaide and Sydney he is to return home for surgery.”The injury may have recovered with rest in a couple of weeks, but realistically Craig would not have been mobile enough to take a full part in a demanding one-day series,” said Brad Robinson, Zimbabwe’s physiotherapist. “In the long term he is best having an operation to affect a full recovery, rather than play on with an injury that could have recurred at a future point.”Wishart himself said, “It’s obviously a major disappointment not to be able to play in the VB Series. I feel that I’ve been in good form and I know my runs are important for the team.” He continued: “But, we have a lot of Test and one-day cricket ahead in the next few months so my immediate aim is to regain full fitness and return to the side as soon as possible.”Ebrahim will join up with the squad at Sydney on Saturday evening. where Zimbabwe play India and Australia in the space of two days. “It’s pretty unlikely he will play against Australia on Sunday,” Geoff Marsh, Zimbabwe’s coach, said, “but he will come into contention for the two games we have in Hobart next week.”On a better note for Zimbabwe, Stuart Carlisle, who picked up a slight thigh strain in the game against Australia A at Adelaide, is expected to be fit for their opening game, against Australia on Sunday.

Glenn McGrath’s return to competitive cricket has been delayed after a fitness test ruled him out of a 2nd XI game between New South Wales and Tasmania, to be played from February 9-12 in Hobart.NSW team officials decided McGrath had yet to recover from the ankle surgery that had sidelined him from international cricket since October.This development is likely to upset the Australian selectors’ plans, as McGrath was expected to tour Sri Lanka with the national team. Australia are due to arrive in Sri Lanka on February 14, and play the first one-day international at Dambulla on February 20.

India’s external affairs ministry has approved a proposal to issue visas to cricket fans in the border city of Amritsar, The Times of India reports. "We have today conveyed to Pakistan our approval of the proposal for a visa camp in Amritsar to facilitate people from that region who wish to go to Pakistan to watch cricket matches," a ministry spokesperson said.* * *India’s players have been forbidden from accepting gifts during their tour of Pakistan, an official from the home ministry told The Times of India. Accepting personal invitations was prohibited, and only official receptions could be attended. The regulations laid down were to ensure there was no security risk. For the higher risk factor in Peshawar, the ministry advised that the team would not step outside the ground and the hotel.* * *Khawar Rabbani, a computer analyst and Javed Miandad’s friend, has been hired to assist the Pakistan team for the forthcoming series against India. Part of a four-man computer team, Rabbani’s duties will include preparing and passing appropriate footage on to the bowlers. Speaking to Press Trust of India, Rabbani said, "The wing has been given the task to cast a web around the Indian batsmen and pinpoint their weaknesses and strong points."Pakistan’s last effort to spin a web ended with last year’s unsuccessful World Cup campaign, and the analyst, Sikander Bakht, was promptly sacked. Even Intel gave up their plans to establish a computer lab at the Pakistan cricket board after the administrators made their disinclination clear.But back to Rabbani. People weren’t too happy with his inclusion by Miandad. Sources said, "Rabbani does not know much about computers and the other experts feel that in the presence of a lesser knowledgeable man, the system cannot be used to the best effects."* * *According to The Times of India, during India’s tour of Pakistan in 1982-83, the media had more than a few problems with the facilities. One problematic area was the scorer – in Lahore and Karachi the scorers were inaccurate, while in Faisalabad there was none.* * *Just as Parthiv Patel and Irfan Pathan were giving up all hope of taking their 12th standard exam, the Gujarat cricket association has come out fighting for their cause, according to PTI. The cricket association appealed to the state government to allow the two players to take their exams at a later date. "Unfortunately, Parthiv has been missing his board exams for the last three years due to his selection in the Indian squad," Narhari Amin, the cricket association’s president, said. "If the government could conduct exams in two phases when the earthquake occurred, why not for these cricketers who are playing at the international level?"These were misplaced but welcome words for Parthiv, who said, "I feel awkward remaining in the 12th standard for the last three years. It would be good if the state government considers my request for a retest, as a special case."* * *The Pakistan cricket board said it had not yet decided whether to introduce a Kapil-Imran trophy for India-Pakistan contests, according to The Times of India. Zakir Khan, a manager for the Pakistan board, pooh-poohed media reports, saying, "Reports appearing in the media are apparently based on speculations."* * *The Pakistan cricket board has spent a large amount on Andy Atkinson, an English curator, who will remain in Pakistan for a month and direct pitch preparation for the upcoming series against India. Nothing wrong in that, except that a source who spoke to The News said that Atkinson was brought in to prepare pitches desired by the Inzamam-ul-Haq and Javed Miandad. But any budding conspiracy theories were popped when a board official declared Atkinson’s appointment was to ensure result-oriented pitches.* * *The ICC’s special investigators will watch every ball of India’s tour of Pakistan with keen interest, and keep an eye out for any signs of betting and matchfixing. According to a report in The Times of India players have been barred from using mobile phones and email on match days, and close-circuit cameras will monitor the dressing rooms. The level of betting during the series was expected to hit $15 million, and The Guardian reported that security officials would be employed to discourage feelers from potential matchfixers during the upcoming series. The officials will accompany the players constantly, and visitors will be screened. Besides the officials, regular security guards would also be present.* * *Hemang Badani, picked for the one-day squad, said the contest was between India’s batsmen and Pakistan’s bowlers, The Times of India wrote. "Playing Pakistan in Pakistan is never going to be easy," Badani said. "We have good bowlers and good batsmen, so it’s like more of [our] batting against their bowling." He admitted it was tough to live up to the expectations of well-wishers, but said the team would give it its all."We cannot say we will come back with a 5-0 win," he said. "When we play Pakistan we are going to put in that much extra – that’s what we as players can do and we will be surely doing that. Playing Pakistan means a lot for every cricket team no matter whatever way it is. I have been in the team for four years but I never got a chance to play against them," Badani continued. "It has been years since we have played each other. We haven’t really gone there and played any cricket – for that reason it should be a very good tour.”* * *To end on a cheery note, the chief minister of Sindh has declared a holiday in Karachi for the opening one-day clash Saturday, March 13. Acknowledging the cricket match was an honour for Sindh, Ali Muhammad Mahar said the holiday would allow people to watch the match live at home.

India 349 for 7 (Dravid 99, Sehwag 79) beat Pakistan 344 for 8 (Inzamam 122, Youhana 73)
Scorecard

A series that the entire cricket world had been waiting for with bated breath started off with an absolutely incredible match at the National Stadium in Karachi. In a game in which the result was in the balance until the very last ball, India finally edged through by five runs after amassing 349.For much of the match, it appeared that Pakistan would pull off an astounding run-chase, as Inzamam-ul-Haq chose this stage to showcase his genius. His innings of 122 – surely one of the greatest ever played in a one-day international – made light of a steep target, and almost handed India their second defeat in three days after scoring more than 300. Even so Pakistan’s 344 was comfortably the highest total made by the side batting second in any one-day international.It was high-octane stuff from the start, with plenty of batting stars from either side: Virender Sehwag blasted 79 from 57 balls to get India off to a blistering start, while Rahul Dravid stroked a classy 99 to ensure that the splendid start wasn’t wasted. Then, Yousuf Youhana caressed 73 to revive Pakistan’s hopes. But the innings of the match came from Inzamam.No team had ever successfully chased 350 in an ODI, and that statistic didn’t look likely to change when Pakistan lost two early wickets and struggled to 71 for 2 in 15 overs. The Indian seamers bowled with superb control, and with the asking rate mounting to eight early in the chase, it seemed that India would run away with it.Inzamam and Youhana turned it all around with an outstanding partnership of 135 from a mere 20 overs. Not only did they press on the accelerator, they did so with minimum risk, tonking the slow bowlers for straight sixes, and nurdling the seamers for ones and twos. Youhana finally played one lofted shot too many, but that only allowed Inzamam to take centre stage.Not allowing the pressure to get to him at any point, Inzamam turned it on with some scintillating batting, caressing fours to midwicket and square leg with a casual flick of the wrists, or making room to play some delectable strokes on the off side equally effortlessly. Ganguly switched the bowling around, but except for Sehwag, none of the bowlers made even a semblance of an impression. Inzamam’s fourth-wicket stand with Younis Khan yielded 109 before Inzamam finally perished, nicking one from Kartik to Dravid (278 for 4).Younis and Abdul Razzaq ensured that the momentum didn’t slip away, running hard between the wickets and finding the boundary frequently. Kartik swung the match India’s way again, bowling Younis for 46, while Zaheer’s slower ball did for Razzaq. Then came another twist in the tale, when Mohammad Kaif pulled off an amazing running catch to dismiss Shoaib Malik, running around from long-off, diving, and clinging on to the ball even as he almost collided with Hemang Badani. That catch came off the penultimate ball of the 49th over, and Pakistan approached the last over needing nine to win.Ashish Nehra, the man chosen for the task, did a nerveless job, bowling full and on the stumps. Naved-ul-Hasan swished and missed at the first one, but stole a single off the next. Moin Khan failed to get a yorker away, and only managed a single off the fourth ball. When Hasan took a run off the fifth, it required Moin to hit a six off the last ball. Javed Miandad was gesturing furiously from the stands – he obviously had a right to do so, having smashed a memorable last-ball six off Chetan Sharma to win a thriller at Sharjah back in 1986 – but all of that was to little effect, as Moin spooned a full-toss to Zaheer at extra cover. The match was India’s.When Pakistan look back on the match, they will probably identify their lack of discipline in the field as the primary reason for the defeat. Pakistan got the best of the bowling conditions – the pitch afforded plenty of bounce and some seam early on – but made a mess of it, sending down a shocking 20 no-balls and 10 wides. The Indians, on the other hand, bowled just two no-balls and seven wides.

The trend was set in a frenetic first over in the Indian innings. Shoaib Akhtar, visibly keyed up for the battle with Tendulkar, bowled a nine-ball first over which included a couple of wides and no-balls. He began his second over with another no-ball, off which Tendulkar was caught at square leg, and then saw insult added to injury later in that same over when Tendulkar top-edged a hook for six.At the other end, Sehwag went on his merry way, slashing and swinging through the off side with gay abandon. Shoaib got Pakistan the breakthrough, when Tendulkar guided a drive to Hasan at backward point (69 for 1) for 28, but that only set the stage for a breathtaking onslaught by Sehwag.Hasan, all of two ODIs old in international cricket, bowled four no-balls in his first five deliveries, and disappeared for 24 in the over, while Razzaq was smashed for three fours in his opening over. Sehwag was finally bowled by a beautifully disguised slower ball from Hasan (142 for 2), but with 143 from the first 15 overs, the platform had been laid.Dravid and Sourav Ganguly then kept it going with a run-a-ball partnership of 72, but Pakistan had an opportunity to claw back when both Ganguly (47) and Yuvraj Singh were dismissed in quick succession. India were 220 for 4 in the 29th over, and with no VVS Laxman – a knee injury in the nets had ruled him out – a couple of further wickets would have exposed the Indian tail rather early. Dravid and Kaif ensured it didn’t happen.Dravid played another gem, continuing the rich vein of form he showed in Australia. He seldom played unorthodox strokes, but kept the runs coming with clever nudges and deflections. He didn’t miss out on the boundaries either – a couple of straight-drives off Razzaq early in the innings were among the shots of the innings.Kaif was equally composed, cutting out the risky strokes early in his innings, but putting pressure on the fielders with some blistering running between the wickets. Their vital 118-run stand ensured that India got up to 349. In the end, that turned out to be just enough.

The West Indies women returned from their tour of India and Pakistan with their coach believing that all the major objectives had been accomplished. During the seven-week trip they lost to India but defeated Pakistan."The tour has been very good for us and very good for our preparation for the World Cup," Ann Browne-John, the coach, told CMC Sport. "I thought that we were way behind India and when I think about the fact that India is now ranked third in the world, that means we are also way behind Australia and New Zealand, so we have some catching up to do."But despite being thrashed 0-5 by India in the one-day series, West Indies beat Pakistan 5-2. The one Test – against Pakistan in Karachi – was drawn when West Indies scored 440 after being made to follow on."That was the purpose of the tour," Browne-John added. "To gain international experience, to play against an experienced team like India and to hope that it will help us and I think we have been able to achieve that."In the Test, Nadine George from St Lucia became the first woman to score a hundred for West Indies when she hit 118.

Nadine George and Vivalyn Latty-Scott have been inducted into the University of the West Indies’s cricket Hall of Fame. While Latty-Scott has retired, George is a current player and recently toured Pakistan.The Hall of Fame inducts any cricketer with five wickets in an innings or a century to their name. George was included as she scored a century against Pakistan in Karachi. But Latty-Scott’s inclusion came 28 years after her achievement – her offspin got her a five-wicket haul against Australia in 1976. Even more surprisingly, she’s the only West Indian woman to have taken five wickets in an innings.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

It was a tough and tiring return from the summer break for South Africa, but it wasn’t a fruitless day. Their bowlers, led by the magnificent Shaun Pollock, restricted Sri Lanka to 279 for 7, rather better returns than they would have hoped for after losing the toss and being asked to field on a bare and grassless pitch. Sri Lanka’s batsmen were shown the way by Mahela Jayawardene, who played a polished, elegant knock to finish unbeaten on 116, but apart from useful contributions from Kumar Sangakkara (58) and Romesh Kaluwitharana (33), it was a largely uninspiring performance from the rest of the cast.Jayawardene made amends for his duck in the Asia Cup final, playing himselfin carefully in the morning and blossoming in the afternoon. Sharing usefulstands of 86 with Sangakkara, 37 with Thilan Samaraweera, 44 with Tillakaratne Dilshan and 85 with Kaluwitharana, he manoeuvred Sri Lanka into a comfortable position before South Africa struck twice, including a wicket off the last ball of the day. Jayawardene’s 249-ball innings included 15 fours – most of them sweetly timed drives and flicks – and one gorgeous straight six.Just how good Sri Lanka’s score is won’t be clear until their spinners are let loose some time on the second day. Worryingly for South Africa, Nicky Boje, a left-armer renowned for his allround skills but not for the power of hisspinning finger, turned the ball square at times on a pitch that the curator(the former Test offspinner Jayananda Warnaweera) predicted, with a glint in his eye, will not last the distance.It promised to be a long day in the field for South Africa after they lost the toss – the South Africa media sighed in unison as the TV cameras turned to Atapattu after the flip of the coin. But fortunately for them, the South Africans struck early. Sanath Jayasuriya, in one-day mode, flicked an innocuous leg-side delivery straight to Lance Klusener at square leg (13 for 1). Pollock then produced a far better delivery in the next over; it curved away gently from Atapattu’s off stump, took the outside edge, and nestled in the wicketkeeper’s gloves (22 for 2).But Sangakkara, relieved of the gloves in this game so that he could concentrate on his batting, started to flow. Meanwhile, Jayawardene gritted his teeth and played himself in, contributing just nine of the first 50 runs in their stand. At the other end, Sangakkara whizzed off at nearly a run a ball. A couple of his eight fours were streaky, flashed through an empty-looking slip cordon, but some were classics: his signature square-cut and checked cover-drive worked beautifully. They added 86 in 117 balls either side of an early rain-induced lunch.

It was a far cry from when South Africa and Sri Lanka last met at Galle,back in 2000 in the immediate aftermath of Cronjegate, when Jayasuriyabiffed 96 not out before lunch on the first day. South Africa’s bowlers weremurdered, Sri Lanka tucked into their chicken biryani on 146 for 0, and went on to win that game by an innings and 15 runs. For Pollock, the debut captain then, the memory hurt. But this time, thanks to his opening gambit, Sri Lanka were knocked to the canvas in the first round.Graeme Smith deployed his seamers in neat six-over bursts, protecting themon a day suited for air-conditioning and ice lollies, not for fast bowlingand fielding. But finally, after lunch, he tossed the ball to Boje, hissolitary spinner. Immediately, the ball turned so extravagantly that Smithmust have wondered why he hadn’t included Robin Peterson too. Boje brokethrough soon, as Sangakkara, who had scored his 58 from just 68 balls, wentback to cut and edged to Mark Boucher (108 for 3).Jayawardene, meanwhile, had long since settled and, apart from one missedpull off a low-bouncing short ball that left him doubled up in pain, lookedentirely comfortable. There was the occasional dangerous flirt – the dab tothird man and an airy swish or two – but also some fine strokes, includingone resplendent cover-drive off Klusener and a lofted drive for six off Boje that oozed quality.Klusener proved a little expensive, conceding 28 from his six overs after a flurry of fours, so Smith pressed Pollock into service again. With a 33-over-oldball, Pollock cut down his run-up and asked Boucher to stand up for a five-over spell of old-fashioned wobblers. It was a sensible strategy in the conditions and soon brought success, as Samaraweera (13) lost his balance and played all around an indipper (145 for 4).After tea, South Africa tossed the ball back to Nantie Hayward, their mostexpensive seamer. He was once again costly, conceding 27 runs in four overs,but he also conjured up a wicket as Dilshan, apparently in two minds as he prepared to punish a long-hop, dragged it onto his stumps (189 for 5). Then came the final twist to the day which tilted the scales in South Africa’s favour. First, Pollock produced a corker which pitched on middle and off, and straightened marginally, clipping Kaluwitharana’s off stump even as he attempted a flick (274 for 6). And finally Makhaya Ntini, wicketless until then, struck with the last ball of the day, bursting through Upul Chandana’s defences.Earlier, South Africa’s opening dilemma finally ended when Boeta Dippenaarwas named as Smith’s partner. Andrew Puttick, the opener called up after Herschelle Gibbs injured his ankle, was left out. Klusener made a comeback to the Test team after a two-and-a-half-year absence, while Hayward returned 18 months after turning his back on international cricket in frustration and packing his bags for Worcestershire.Sri Lanka, who seriously considered playing a solitary seamer, settled for a bowling attack with two fast bowlers, Chaminda Vaas and the allrounder Farveez Maharoof, plus two spinners, Chandana and Muttiah Muralitharan.