GEORGETOWN, GUYANA - Cricket-starved fans in Guyana yesterday took up every vantage point that was available to them at the once-famous Georgetown Cricket Club ground, to cheer on their local heroes who were engaging the visiting Pakistan cricket team in a 50-overs practice encounter yesterday.
For the Pakistanis who made 246 for 9, opener Ahmed Shehzad struck a patient half-century - a feat that was later repeated by Guyana’s middle order batsman Narsingh Deonarine whose 55 was not enough, as Saeed Ajmal ripped through the Guyanese middle and lower order batting lineup to take 5 for 37 and bowl out the home team for 239 fro 49.4 overs.
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – The West Indies Board’s Selection Panel today named the 13-man squad for the upcoming One-Day Internationals against Pakistan in Guyana. The matches will be played at the Guyana National Stadium on Sunday, July 14 and Tuesday July 16.
The series will also mark the return of international cricket to Guyana after a one year absence and will include five One Day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals.
Guyana will host the first two ODIs, followed by three ODIs at the Beausejour Cricket Grounds in St Lucia. The Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in St Vincent will host the two Twenty20 Internationals on July 27th and 28th to conclude the tour.
The West Indies will arrive in Georgetown on Friday. They will have a full training session on Saturday morning at the Guyana National Stadium.
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad –India defeated Sri Lanka by 81 runs (Duckworth/Lewis Method) to top the table after the preliminary round of matches in the CELKON Mobile Cup tri-nation tournament.
India made 119-3 off 29 overs in the rain-affected Match 6 at Queen’s Park Oval on Tuesday. Sri Lanka were set 178 in 26 overs to win under the DL Method, but were bowled out for 96 – the lowest score of the tournament.
The Man-of-the-Match award went to seam bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had career-best figures of 6-1-8-4. He is now the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with eight wickets at an average of 9.12 in three matches.
Speaking after the victory, India’s skipper Virat Kohli noted: “We have shown a lot of character. To bounce back like this and finish top of the table is a commendable effort. I’m very proud of the team....we fought hard when we batted and the bowlers responded beautifully.”
India started the day third in the three-team table but the massive victory secured a bonus point as they ended the prelims on 10 points. Sri Lanka and West Indies both ended on nine points but the Sri Lankans reached the final by virtue of a superior net run rate.
India and Sri Lanka will meet in the Grand Final on Thursday at the Queen’s Park Oval. First ball is 9:30 am (8:30 am Jamaica Time).
Sri Lanka's batsmen, led by Kumar Sangakkara, battled rain interruptions that stretched their innings of 41 overs over two days. Their bowlers seemed to have the match under control when they ran in to a red-hot Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo. That was when rain decided to even things out. A drizzle started, West Indies panicked, went for the D/L par score and lost Simmons. The drizzle stopped, the clouds disappeared and all life drained out of the West Indies chase as Sri Lanka slowed the game down.
Scarborough, Tobago – Trinidad and Tobago captured the second edition of the West Indies Cricket Board Tobago House of Assembly Regional Under 17 title by topping the points table with 24.8 points.
Barbados (19.9 points) edged ahead of Windward Islands (19.5 points) into the second spot while Leeward Islands (13.8 points) and defending champions Jamaica (12.8 points) finished 4th and 5th respectively. Guyana (6.7 points) took the cellar position.
