The cricket version of the rats clackers match....

[JLC]

Yes thats right India v Zimbabwe today/tonight in Perth....

Any predictions of who might win and whether anything remotely interesting might happen ??

I will go with the obvious and say India pretty easily.

jlc

[Donny]

The Zimmers started badly, losing both openers to Pathan in the first over. He also added Ibrahim (7) to his tally and has 3/4 from 4 overs.

Zimbabwe are 3/14 in the 7th. over.

[JLC]

Will the game be finished before A Current Affair finishes on Ch 9....lol

jlc

[Donny]

After 13 overs, it's 3/52 with Irvine in 21 from 19 balls.
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It's now 4/78 as Carlisle is run out for 28. Irvine is batting well.
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Irvine WAS batting well. Hooks a ball from Banderi and is caught on the boundary for 23. 5/79
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Streak gone for 6. Caught by Laxman. 6/85

[Donny]

Zimbabwe were out for 135 in the 35th. over. Pathan took 4/14 and Bhandari, 3/31.

India is 2/34 in the 6th. over. Sehwag made 23 from 22 balls.

[Donny]

India struggle chasing 136

The Wisden Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran


India stumbled into trouble soon after dinner, perhaps lulled into complacency by the smallness of the target. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman had taken the score past 50, but the loss of Dravid and Yuvraj Singh in quick succession meant that Zimbabwe could harbour a glimmer of hope.

Dravid played one cracking square-drive on his way to 10, but was then undone by some steepling bounce. The delivery from Blignaut was met with a backward defensive prod, but the ball then dropped back on to the stumps (61 for 3).

Laxman played one glorious flick through midwicket, and a scorching pull for four off Blignaut, but then had to watch Yuvraj succumb to an indiscrete shot. Sean Ervine cramped him for room, and Yuvraj's unbalanced hoick to leg found Travis Friend at backward square leg (73 for 4). He made just 4. Would there be a sting in the tail?
Heath Streak and Andy Blignaut took a wicket apiece to take some of the lustre off India's afternoon efforts at the WACA. Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were the batsmen out, both to reckless shots, but India were still firm favourites to overhaul Zimbabwe's meagre total of 135 all out.

Sehwag started with a edge down to third man for four, and a glance to fine-leg in Streak's opening over, before smashing one past the bowler for four more in his next over. Tendulkar though was sent back by the classic one-two. First, a vicious bouncer went for four leg byes off Tendulkar's upper body, and then, Streak pitched one wide outside off stump. Tendulkar flailed at it, got the edge, and Tatenda Taibu took a comfortable catch (28 for 1).

Despite the interval being just minutes away, Sehwag showed no inclination to rein himself in. And off the penultimate ball of the session, he got up on tiptoe and slashed a Blignaut delivery straight to Stuart Matsikenyeri at deep backward point. It was some consolation for Zimbabwe, whose batting earlier in the day would have done nothing for their appetites.

A 63-run partnership between Stuart Carlisle and Sean Ervine – and a belligerent cameo from Stuart Matsikenyeri at the end – provided isolated notes of defiance as Zimbabwe collapsed in abysmal fashion in the final league game of the VB Series at the WACA. A careless bit of running ended Carlisle's innings, and after that Zimbabwe's innings ran out of puff, and to a shuddering halt at 135.

Irfan Pathan was the pick of India's bowlers, winkling out the top three, and finishing with figures of 4 for 24. Lakshmipathy Balaji and Amit Bhandari provided impressive back-up but Zimbabwe's cause wasn't helped by some indecisive batting, as the majority of batsmen perished tamely fending deliveries to the slip cordon.

Carlisle had progressed confidently to 28 when he was sent back by Ervine, who played the ball out to point. Yuvraj Singh swooped, and hit the stumps direct at the non-striker's end (74 for 4).

Heath Streak walked out to the strains of U2's Beautiful Day, but there was nothing aesthetic about Zimbabwe's capitulation. Bhandari struck the next blow, tempting Ervine into the hook, straight to Murali Kartik – the substitute fielder – at deep fine-leg (79 for 5).

Streak himself made just six before being squared up by a beauty from Balaji, which flew off the edge to VVS Laxman at second slip (85 for 6). Matsikenyeri bludgeoned a couple of cover-drives and a meaty pull to take the total into three figures but Travis Friend made just one before lofting a Bhandari delivery to Rohan Gavaskar at cover (101 for 7).

Both Andy Blignaut and Ray Price gave the slips more catching practice, against Ashish Nehra and Pathan respectively, with Laxman taking his fourth catch of the game. Zimbabwe had made a match of their previous two encounters against India, but this was threatening to be a complete wipeout. Matsikenyeri flailed the bat about some more, but when Bhandari came back to induce an edge behind to the keeper, Zimbabwe had been shot out with 15.2 overs still remaining.

Earlier, Pathan had knifed through the top order effortlessly. The hapless Vusi Sibanda lasted four deliveries before edging to Laxman, and Tatenda Taibu was trapped leg before by one that darted back after pitching on middle stump. Neither man bothered the scorers.

Dion Ebrahim soon followed, for 7, as he poked one to Laxman at second slip (11 for 3). That left Carlisle and Ervine to patch up the damage, and they did so with a little help from Nehra.

Balaji, who kept it straight and narrow, and Pathan, who swung the ball appreciably, had given nothing away in the early stages, but Nehra's introduction gave Zimbabwe some breathing space. He slipped and landed awkwardly on his left angle as he ran in for the first ball of his spell, and perhaps unnerved by that, pitched too full in an opening over that went for 17 – three cover-driven fours and a edge to third man from Ervine.

At that stage, there was the slim possibility that Zimbabwe's batsmen might make a match of it. But a bad call, and Yuvraj's unerring throw decided otherwise. For India, it provided an opportunity to do unto others – Zimbabwe in this case – as Australia had done unto them two days ago.