Cricket Blog

TheBangalore franchise has named its team as the Royal Challengers and Rahul “The Wall” Dravid is the captain.

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Pakistan were all set to clinch their first-ever ODI series against South Africa. They needed just 36 runs off the last ten overs but the South African fast bowlers - Morkel, Ntini and Nel - were outstanding. Pakistan lost their last six wickets for 20 runs. They were cruising when Yousuf and Younis were scoring runs at will. The choke started once Malik played one on to his middle stump and from there on it was all South Africa.

Shoaib Malik said the bowlers bowled really well to restrict the South Africans to 233 and it was chaseable. He also gave credit to Younis and Yousuf for their half-centuries but acknowledged that the team needed to learn how to finish the match. Makhaya Ntini was the Man of the Match for his four-wicket haul. The Man-of-the-Series award went to Mohammad Yousuf for scoring three fifties and a century in five innings in this series.

The overall Man of the Series, for both the Test and ODI series, was Jacques Kallis for his three centuries in the Test series and his 86 in the final ODI. It was a tough innings, one that had several moments of luck, but he steered South Africa to a match-winning total.

Click here for the full scorecard

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Pakistan fought back well at the end of the day to claw back into the second match. Watch all the first day’s action below:

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The first day was dominated by the South African batsmen after Graeme Smith won the toss and decided to make first use of the pitch. The two openers, Smith and Gibbs, gave the team a solid start, however, just as things were looking good, Pakistan struck back with two quick wickets. Smith completely misjudged the length of a Mohammad Hafeez delivery and was caught on the backfoot to a fuller length ball. He was LBW on 42 from only 66 balls. Gibbs edged a wide delivery to gully only to see Mohammad Hafeez take a very good low catch.

Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis were the two new men on the crease and Pakistan had a wonderful opportunity to take a couple more wickets and put the pressure right back on South Africa. However, that was not to be as both the batsmen played solidly and refused to be intimidated by the bowling. Pakistan are in definite need of a better spinner than Hafeez and not playing Danish Kaneria could be a costly mistake.

Amla and Kallis put on a massive 170 run partnership before a beauty from Mohammad Asif rocked Amla’s off stump. The damage had been done, and even though Amla may be disappointed on missing out on a three figure score, he had done his job to perfection. Kallis in the meantime had reached his 25th century from a 147 balls. He is going to be the key man for South Africa and Pakistan will be looking to get him out as soon as possible.

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Shane Warne recently released his list of the top 50 players, naming Sachin Tendulkar as the best player. Here is the list:

1. Sachin Tendulkar
2. Brian Lara
3. Curtly Ambrose
4. Allan Border
5. Glenn McGrath
6. Wasim Akram
7. Muthiah Muralitharan
8. Ricky Ponting
9. Mark Taylor
10. Ian Healy

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