Yorkshire made promising progress against Somerset on the third morning of their Division One match at Headingley before rain stopped play just before lunch.

09-May-2013Somerset 190 for 5 (Petersen 54, Trescothick 53) trail Yorkshire 505 for 9 dec by 315 runs
ScorecardAdil Rashid’s impressive match continued with two wickets before the rain•Getty Images

Yorkshire made promising progress against Somerset on the third morning of their Division One match at Headingley before rain stopped play just before lunch.Tim Bresnan, who is pushing for a place in the England squad ahead of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s next week, claimed two early wickets and leg-spinner Adil Rashid captured two in two balls to reduce Somerset to 190 for 5 by the time the weather intervened.The visitors were left needing a further 226 to avoid the possibility of following on and their situation could have been much worse if Yorkshire had not also spilled two catches.England opener Nick Compton had grafted hard the previous evening for his 33 but when Somerset resumed on 92 for 1 he offered no stroke to the second ball of the day from Bresnan and was out lbw. Nightwatchman Jack Leach survived a confident shout for a catch behind the wicket off Jack Brooks but after edging Bresnan through the slips for four he had his off stump flattened by the same bowler.Bresnan’s double left Somerset on 123 for 3 but Alviro Peterson and James Hildreth stopped the slide with some confident shots, although the South Africa batsman would have gone for 24 if his edge off Steve Patterson had been held low down at second slip by Adam Lyth.There was more misfortune for Patterson when Peterson edged him through the vacant third slip. The gap was then plugged but the chance had gone. Bresnan was rested after his impressive seven over spell from the Football End had brought him two wickets for 25 runs.He was replaced by Richard Pyrah, who was hit to the midwicket boundary by Hildreth, but the batsman then had an escape as Joe Sayers fluffed a chance at third slip. Unperturbed, Hildreth stroked the next ball through the covers for four to take him to 10,000 runs in first class cricket.Rashid found himself unemployed until he was finally given a bowl at 169 for 3 in the 62nd over but Peterson went on to cut him for four to complete his half-century from 76 balls with seven boundaries and a similar shot crossed the rope later in the over.There was revenge for the leg-spinner in his next over when he beat Peterson through the air and he drove a catch to Patterson at mid-on. Arul Suppiah came to the crease and promptly left it, caught by Sayers at short leg off his first ball. Rashid had to wait until his following over to attempt the hat-trick but Jos Buttler survived and the rain came shortly afterwards.

Chris Lynn, the Queensland batsman, has become the second Australian cricketer in a week to find himself in trouble over remarks made on Twitter

ESPNcricinfo staff23-May-2013Chris Lynn, the Queensland batsman, has become the second Australian cricketer in a week to find himself in trouble over remarks made on Twitter. Queensland Cricket has confirmed it will investigate Lynn’s use of his Twitter account to comment on the assault allegations made against rugby league player Ben Te’o by a Brisbane woman.Te’o vehemently denies the accusations of assault and police said on Wednesday they were no longer investigating the alleged incident. Lynn tweeted that “The girl accusing Ben Teo is bad news” and then agreed with another tweeter, who had said “She should serve 2 months in jail for her make up! #booyah”. Lynn replied that “She definately (sic) should!” and went on to tweet: “it does my head in …”Although the tweets have since been deleted, Lynn on Thursday apologised for his comments. “It was inappropriate to express my personal view on a forum like Twitter and I apologise whole-heartedly for that to the individual involved,” Lynn said. “Violence against women is not acceptable and I’m sorry that my words could been seen to condone that.”Queensland Cricket’s acting chief executive Richard Powell said the organisation would look in to the matter. “Chris has been contacted and has apologised to us for his tweet. But regardless we will now conduct a formal investigation and advise a course of action in due course,” Powell said. “We take such matters seriously and educate our players accordingly. Players are aware of the consequences of their actions on social media or in any other public forums.”Lynn’s tweets have served as another warning to cricketers about the dangers of posting on Twitter after David Warner was fined A$5750 for his angry tweets at two journalists this week.

Australia are privately fuming but biting hard on their tongues and declining to express any public anger over the reprieve of Stuart Broad

Daniel Brettig and George Dobell at Trent Bridge12-Jul-2013Australia are privately fuming but biting hard on their tongues and declining to express any public anger over the reprieve of Stuart Broad after the umpire Aleem Dar failed to detect a thick edge to slip from the bowling of Ashton Agar.In the second major umpiring controversy in successive days at Trent Bridge, England were only 232 ahead when Broad stood his ground. Australia’s players reacted with considerable dismay at the decision, which they could not refer to the third umpire after using up their DRS allocation earlier in the day.Broad was still in occupation alongside Ian Bell at the close, by which time the hosts’ lead had reached 261. While the players’ immediate response on the field was plain, and the coach Darren Lehmann made his displeasure plain on the dressing room balcony, the fast bowler Peter Siddle did his best to avoid critiques of Broad, the umpires or the current protocols for the use of technology, saying only that he had only seen a bigger edge not given out “in the backyard maybe off my brother”.”How many people have ever walked? Some. That’s right, some,” Siddle said. “At the end of day it’s the umpires’ decision. The umpires make the decision and players stick with it. We just went about it. You finish the over and go through to the next over. If you watched out there, there wasn’t a big deal made of it. We got stuck in and just kept working to get the wicket.

‘I don’t see bowlers asking you back’

“The review system was brought in to get rid of the howler, I don’t see why umpire Dar couldn’t have had someone is his ear saying you’ve got that one wrong let’s just overturn that quickly. This has been a terrific game but I think a lot will be talked about that incident, which is sad.” – Michael Vaughan

“DRS was brought in to correct obviously wrong decisions and that is how captains should use it. Alastair Cook does just that, he is very sparing with it, and hopefully Michael Clarke does the same after this. To me, it has to be the umpire [fault]. A player is allowed to stand his ground. If Australia had one appeal left, Broad would have walked. The fact there was no referral left, he left it up to the umpire.” – Glenn McGrath

“The rules say that it’s ‘in the opinion of the umpire’ so it’s above things like ‘The Spirit of the Game’. I don’t see bowlers asking you back when the ball is sliding down leg. There is no debate, it’s quite simple. The Australians I have played with and have watched, with the exception of Adam Gilchrist, believe in standing and it’s up to the umpire to give you out – there shouldn’t be a morale argument. They should be upset, disappointed and angered by the umpires. If they keep making poor decisions, it’s up to the ICC to do something about it.” – Geoff Boycott

“He (Dar) always gets the crucial decisions wrong & always has, that’s why he’s not a great umpire! We all make mistakes & it’s a very tough job being an umpire, but when Dar continually makes crucial mistakes why does he keep getting a gig?” – Shane Warne on Twitter

“Obviously people are going to be frustrated but it’s hard out there for players, for umpires. It’s a long day, it’s a tough day for people out there. Things are going to happen and we just have to deal with it. That’s just a part of the game and spectators have to understand that – that there are times when things like that happen. Obviously it’s a long day and it’s hard for everyone involved. We can’t be blaming anyone.”Siddle’s acceptance of Broad’s failure to walk – common practice in professional cricket for a generation and more – was in contrast to howls of outrage on social media sites and from media commentators, many of who judged Broad’s behaviour as immoral and unsporting.Michael Holding, the former West Indian fast bowler, contended that Broad’s behaviour was comparable to that of the West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, who falsely claimed a catch against Pakistan in a Champions Trophy match at The Oval in London last month. Ramdin was banned for two one-day games by the ICC match referee, who happened to be Broad’s father, Chris.”What Stuart Broad did amounts to the same thing as Ramdin,” Holding told Sky TV. “He knew he had hit the ball. The ICC fined Ramdin and suspended him for ‘actions that were contrary to the spirit of the game’. What Stuart Broad did is contrary to the spirit of the game. He played the ball and stayed there.”The day after England sought clarification from the ICC following a Hot Spot operator error that contributed to Jonathan Trott’s lbw dismissal, Dar’s howler was not referred to technology that would have picked up the mistake because Australia no longer had any recourse to do so. Umpires do have the right to refer some decisions themselves if in doubt, but for now are limited to low catches and bump balls. Dar’s refusal of Australia’s appeal was as unequivocal as it was mistaken”You can’t do anything about that,” Siddle said of the burned referrals. “You use them because you think you’re going to get a result early on and you don’t. You can’t just hold them and put them in the back pocket and say ‘I’m going to get one in the afternoon’ and save it for that. You use them when you think there’s a chance of getting a wicket and that’s what they’re there for.”For their part, England stood by the view that Broad was well within his rights to stand and wait for Dar’s decision. It is debatable whether he would have done so had Australia still been able to use a video referral, but his team-mate Kevin Pietersen did not think Broad should have taken any other action in the circumstances.”Each and every player who plays for their country, their club side, for their franchise or their county has the opportunity to wait for the decision the umpire makes and you respect the umpire’s decision,” Pietersen said. “We play hard. We play fair and each individual has the responsibility and makes the judgement if he will wait for the umpire’s decision. Aleem Dar is a fantastic umpire and he has been rated one of the best umpires in world cricket over the last few years. Wait and respect his decision.”Contrary to reports, no apology has been forthcoming from the ICC to the ECB regarding the Trott decision on the second day.

Essex maintained their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the Yorkshire Bank 40 competition after crushing Durham by six wickets at Chelmsford

13-Aug-2013
ScorecardRyan ten Doeschate was Essex’s matchwinner for the second time in a week•Getty Images

Essex maintained their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the Yorkshire Bank 40 competition after crushing Durham by six wickets at Chelmsford. The hosts got home with 13.3 overs to spare, successfully chasing down Durham’s meagre 138 all out.Ryan ten Doeschate and Ravi Bopara made light of the task with a fourth-wicket partnership of 94 in 18 overs before the latter departed for 38. Ten Doeschate completed his side’s emphatic victory with an unbeaten 74 spanning 64 balls and featuring two sixes and eight fours.The visitors started the match at the head of Group B but struggled against a wonderful exhibition of pace bowling from Graham Napier. The Essex allrounder took 5 for 21, including a devastating spell of four wickets for one run in 2.2 overs at the start of the innings, as Durham sank to 9 for 4 after 4.2 overs.Mark Stoneman, Scott Borthwick and Paul Collingwood all failed to score as Napier ran amok. He removed Stoneman with his second delivery of the match and three balls later found an edge as Borthwick pushed forward to give James Foster one of his three catches. Former England batsman Collingwood failed to dig out a yorker while Phil Mustard reached just nine before he became another Napier casualty.Will Smith made a gallant effort to sustain the innings with a 73-ball half-century that included five boundaries, and he found useful support from Gareth Breese with the pair adding 55 in 11 overs for the seventh wicket. Breese was bowled by ten Doeschate and soon after Smith drove Tymal Mills to Bopara at mid-off as Durham’s innings ending as ignominiously as it had started with the loss of three wickets for one run.Bowled out in 34.1 overs, the visitors did have some early impetus when Essex started their reply as they captured three wickets for 30 runs in 11 overs. Hamish Rutherford edged Mark Wood to slip in the first over, Mark Pettini was pinned in front of his stumps by Chris Rushworth three overs later and Greg Smith played down the wrong line and was bowled by Wood.But Bopara and Ten Doeschate soon steadied matters as they composed their match-winning stand. When Bopara became a second victim for Rushworth, only 15 more runs were required and ten Doeschate duly completed the win to send Essex into Twenty20 Finals day on Saturday in good heart.

He’s a good judge of a character is that Geoffrey Boycott. Just six months after he ear-marked left-handed Alex Lees as a star of the future, the 20-year-old became his county’s youngest ever double centurion.

Graham Hardcastle at Chesterfield18-Jul-2013
ScorecardAlex Lees was tipped for success by Geoff Boycott before the start of the season•Simon Wilkinson

He’s a good judge of a character is that Geoffrey Boycott. Just six months after the Yorkshire president earmarked left-handed Alex Lees as a star of the future, the 20-year-old gave the Boycott’s words further credence by becoming his county’s youngest ever double centurion on a pacey pitch at Queen’s Park.It was at the marquee event of Yorkshire’s 150th anniversary year at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in January that Boycott said: “We are still providing some very good players for England, including Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. There are also a couple of kids you may not know too much about coming through. We’ve got another one in Alex Lees, who is about three years away. I think he’s very good.”I just like everything about him. I watch technique very closely, but I also watch out for their mental application. I like the whole package with him. He’ll get a game or two this year for Yorkshire. But don’t expect too much too soon. Len Hutton played his first games for Yorkshire and England and got nought. I got four and four in my first appearances.”After a record breaking 275 not out from 436 balls in his county’s mammoth 617 for 5 declared here, Lees has eclipsed Boycott and moved just behind Hutton on the list of Yorkshire’s highest ever individual scorers.The opener played strongly all around the ground – he was particularly commanding on the pull – and was part of a number of records to tumble, most notably Yorkshire’s youngest to 200 at 20 years and 95 days – 130 days Richard Blakey’s junior when he ran Gloucestershire ragged at Headingley in 1987.He shared a 311-run stand for the second wicket with Phil Jaques during yesterday’s opening day, the county’s highest partnership for that wicket in first-class cricket against Derbyshire before posting the third highest score on this ground, the equal eleventh highest in Yorkshire’s history and the highest since Darren Lehmann’s 339 against Durham at Headingley in 2006.Lees, born in Halifax and still the captain of the Yorkshire Academy side, also contributed to Yorkshire’s third highest score on this ground and the ninth highest in their history as he notched his second Championship hundred in three matches. His first was at Lord’s last month.It has not been an easy couple of years for Lees, whose father Simon died of cancer in May 2011. He subsequently turned down the opportunity to tour in the following winter with England Under-19s to support his mother, a move Yorkshire and the ECB were fully behind. He acknowledged the heavens at every major milestone, of which there will surely be many more.”You work really hard as a young lad and then as an adult,” Lees said. “Times like this are really rewarding and extra special. I really do enjoy the moments. I’ve worked hard over the years, and my late father would be rather happy. They are extra special when you have something on it.”There was another acknowledgement from Lees, but one on a far more of a light-hearted note. Director of professional cricket Martyn Moxon is here looking after the team whilst Jason Gillespie is absent on compassionate leave, and Moxon’s career best score was 274. So when Lees topped that, he raised his bat to a cheering visitor’s balcony: “I just pipped him there. I’ve taken Frog down!” Lees quipped.Yorkshire then backed up their domination with the bat by restricting Derbyshire to 94 for 5 in their reply. Steve Patterson and Jack Brooks struck twice apiece, and with two days left title-chasing Yorkshire virtually home and hosed already.

Andre Russell, the Jamaican allrounder, is eager to carry over his outstanding Caribbean Premier League form for winners Jamaica Tallawahs into the West Indies A tour of India in September

Renaldo Matadeen30-Aug-2013Andre Russell, the Jamaican allrounder, is eager to carry over his outstanding Caribbean Premier League form for winners Jamaica Tallawahs into the West Indies A tour of India in September. Russell finished sixth in the CPL top-scorers chart with 203 runs made with at a league-leading strike-rate of 189.71.”I’m grateful for the opportunity to get back into the West Indies setup,” Russell said. “A team cricket is the next step from the international scene. I will remain positive and try to be as successful as possible with the bat and the ball. It’ll be hard work in the hot sun in India. I’m resting up right now and looking to get my fitness up.”Russell said his past experiences in visiting India with West Indies as well as a stint with Delhi Daredevils in the IPL would be beneficial for the A tour. Regarding the trying conditions in India, he said, “The IPL games are night games but it’s still humid. Playing in the day or day-night, whatever conditions, I’ll try to adjust and do the same thing I’ve been doing for Jamaica.”Russell has faded from the West Indies fray since the Zimbabwe home series in March. He said he will return as an allrounder and not just a batsman. On his improving Twenty20 form he said, “I’ll still back my bowling. There’s always room for improvement and I’m still a bowler even though it’s been the bat I’ve shone with lately. I improved on my field-setting and players like (Vernon) Philander, (Kumar) Sangakkara and (Muttiah) Muralitharan have helped me in their chats. Their experience added a lot for me. My death bowling has improved. Starting my spell was my problem but now I am starting better with the ball.””My batting has overtaken my bowling at the moment but I work hard at both. I’m enjoying my batting and getting the role in the innings to express myself. I just need a good start from the upper order and it’s easier for me. I love the last five or six overs to have a go.”With a lone Test against Sri Lanka in 2010 under his belt, Russell also expressed a strong desire for the long format. “I have been watching Test cricket since I was young and I think it can help my cricket a lot by playing the long format. It’s a dream come true for any cricketer. I’ve got a taste and playing in an environment with (Chris) Gayle, Dwayne (Bravo) and Shiv (Chanderpaul), is a good environment. ODI and T20 have been good to me so far but I’m not giving up on Test cricket.”

If the first day is any indicator, the track at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium is likely to keep low and slow, and Bangladesh and New Zealand will have to strategise and cope with the turn as the Test wears on

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong09-Oct-2013The Bangladesh and New Zealand camps were in slightly contrasting positions at the end of the first day’s play. The visitors were bemused at having lost three wickets in the last hour which spoiled the top-order’s fine work, particularly Kane Williamson’s fourth Test century. The home side was justifiably pleased to have a final burst of wickets, but didn’t particularly like how the pitch had turned out.The 23-year-old’s composed 114 was as much a test of patience for the bowlers as it was for Williamson himself. He had batted for four-and-a-half hours, enough time for the Bangladesh bowling unit to get constricted.They did start bowling a one-day line, but Williamson didn’t chase too many wide ones or miss out on anything offered short of length. He started off his innings with two impossibly difficult shots that were daintily executed. But then he stopped looking for those gaps, and only reacted to anything that was wide and short.In the process, he added 126 for the second wicket with Peter Fulton, who batted out nearly four hours for his 73.”He’s a very good player of spin bowling,” Fulton said. “He made it look pretty easy out there at times. Over here with the heat and humidity, you start to get tired and maybe reign yourself in a little bit. You have to be happy to just be out there in the middle. When the bad ball comes along, he is good enough to put them away.”Williamson’s innings was given more value by the surface on which he batted. The discussion throughout the day centered around the pitch, particularly because of the brand new playing square at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.The fielding side’s spokesman for the day, Nasir Hossain, was critical of the track.”We hoped the wicket would turn. But it didn’t do as much as we would have liked. There was some turn towards the end of the day. I hope it would turn as much tomorrow.”If the ball spun, we would have batted today. We knew for almost a year that New Zealand would be here during this time. The wicket wasn’t what I had wished for. It is a new surface, so we have scant idea of which way it would go in the rest of the game. But we have to adjust ourselves and get them out quickly tomorrow.”Fulton, on the other hand, hadn’t expected the pitch to behave any differently. In the remaining days of the match, he understands that it will break and the ball will start to turn.”It was probably the wicket that we expected,” Fulton said. “It was pretty low and slow, not a lot of bounce. As the day went on, it started to take turn. It was pretty much what we planned for.”I wouldn’t expect the bounce to improve. I would expect it to get lower and slower. When you win the toss and bowl, you hope the wicket will deteriorate and get even tough to bat on.”The New Zealand opener believed that the side’s batsmen had mostly handled Shakib Al Hasan and Abdur Razzak well, as left-arm spinners are considered the biggest threat for the visitors. “They’ve got two good left-arm spinners in the team. If they’re going to be bowling the majority of the overs, they’d get the wickets. At times today, we played them very well,” Fulton said.The lack of turn is likely to abate in the next day or two as cracks start to appear. But the low bounce and the sluggishness is not a new phenomenon in Bangladeshi playing surfaces, regardless of how old or new they are. The curator here tried to produce as sporting a wicket as possible, despite his limitations and the methods used in this part of the sub-continent.The basic idea of producing wickets in Bangladesh is to avoid using grassroots when they are building up the layers of soil. The roots hold the water and retain moisture for an extended period. It helps bind the wicket better, making it a harder surface eventually. It also slows the process of wearing down.The Chittagong pitch, like any other in the country, is devoid of grass and as a result is likely to have lower bounce. The pace, too, wouldn’t be encouraging.One wonders how Williamson produced those two beautiful shots straight down the ground and through mid-wicket so early in his innings. As the match wears on, such natural ability will have to be curbed and batting out of one’s comfort zone is likely to take precedence.

An injury to Ajmal Shahzad put a dampener on Sussex’s opening day against Middlesex after they dismissed the LV= County Championship leaders relatively cheaply at Hove

Press Association10-May-2015
ScorecardSussex are fretting over an injury to Ajmal Shahzad•PA Photos

An injury to Ajmal Shahzad put a dampener on Sussex’s opening day against Middlesex after they dismissed the LV= County Championship leaders relatively cheaply at Hove.Sussex, who came into the match just three points behind their rivals, won the toss and had Middlesex at 121 for 5 with Shahzad having taken 2 for 28.But the former Yorkshire bowler left the field with a pectoral injury and the visitors recovered somewhat to post 269 with Ollie Robinson taking 4 for 46 and Steve Magoffin adding 3 for 61.There were also a startling 62 extras in the Middlesex total – by far the highest contributor.Sussex then lost Chris Nash, Matt Machan and Michael Yardy in struggling to 66 for 3 in reply in 16 overs batting in the evening sunshine.An overcast, hazy morning prompted Sussex’s decision to bowl first and Shahzad helped Magoffin to set the early tone by reducing Middlesex to 10 for 2 against the new ball.He then returned before the lunch interval to have James Franklin taken at second slip for a duck soon after Robinson had cut short an aggressive, counter-attacking 38 from Adam Voges, who hit seven fours.Nick Compton battled hard to get Middlesex through to lunch on 87 for 4, despite being beaten on several occasions outside off stump.Sussex were handicapped when Shahzad left the field early in the afternoon session after bowling two balls of his 10th over but Robinson and Magoffin both bowled well to keep Middlesex under the cosh.Compton had only converted his lunchtime 22 not out into a dogged 30 before he edged Robinson to Yardy at second slip and then Magoffin finally got proper reward for his perseverance and skill by dismissing John Simpson and Neil Dexter
in successive overs.James Harris was then undone by a ball from Robinson that leapt alarmingly at his throat and which he gloved through to wicketkeeper Ben Brown.Matt Hobden got Ollie Rayner leg-before for 17 but Toby Roland-Jones and Steven Finn added an invaluable 38 in seven overs for the last wicket until the hard-hitting Roland-Jones holed out to deep mid-wicket off Robinson for a
30-ball 34.In reply, Nash went for 23 as he inside-edged Harris onto his stumps in the fifth over while Machan edged Finn to second slip on 13 and Roland-Jones pinned Yardy leg-before for nine.Middlesex managing director of cricket Angus Fraser, said: “It’s difficult to decide where this match is at the moment. We scored 269 but had a top score of only 38 and benefited from those 60 extras.“The pitch is hard but cracked in places so the odd ball will do something and it might do more as the game goes on. Has it been good bowling or poor batting so far? It’s been a strange sort of day.”Sussex head coach Mark Robinson added: “Ajmal Shahzad’s injury hampered us a lot today. He has strained a pectoral muscle just below his left shoulder, and we need to see how it is in the morning before we can assess how bad the injury
is. But he came off because he couldn’t bowl with it, not as a precaution.”

Lord William Griffiths, who had a brief career as a fast bowler in Glamorgan, has died aged 91

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-2015Lord William Griffiths, who had a brief career as a fast bowler with Glamorgan, has died aged 91. He was far more renowned in the legal sector, having been a High Court Judge, a Life Peer and a Law Lord but his interest in cricket was undimmed and served as the president of the MCC in 1990-91.He was also the recipient of the Military Cross for taking on a tank single-handedly during World War II.As an administrator, he had to tackle a proposal for the MCC to include women members. Griffiths put to a vote the question of whether Rachael Heyhoe Flint, the former England women’s captain, was eligible, only to see it rejected.In 1993, he had also headed an investigation into state of English cricket as a result of David Gower’s exclusion from the tour of India. In his report, Griffiths suggested doing away with the Cricket Council and combining the Test and County Cricket Board with the National Cricket Association.He was part of the 2nd XI at Charterhouse school for two years after 1940, before being called up to serve in World War II, where he was awarded the Military Cross for “taking on single-handed the Panther tank”. Upon his return, he studied law at Cambridge and won a Blue in cricket for three years between 1946 and 1948.Griffiths made his county cricket debut in 1946. He played 38 matches and took 102 wickets, including lending a hand with Glamorgan’s Championship victory in 1948.

An unbeaten 124 from Assad Vala powered Papua New Guinea to victory in their maiden first-class game, beating Netherlands by five wickets in the Intercontinental Cup fixture

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile Photo – PNG players celebrate the wicket of Michael Swart on the first day• KNCB/Sander Tholen

An unbeaten 124 from Assad Vala powered Papua New Guinea to victory in their maiden first-class game, beating Netherlands by five wickets in the Intercontinental Cup fixture in Amstelveen. Chasing a target of 305, Vala added 200 runs with Mahuru Dai for the fifth wicket, a partnership that secured a historic victory.Resuming on the third morning on 66 for 2, PNG slipped to 82 for 4, losing both Vani Morea and Charles Amini for 3. Needing another 223 for victory, Vala and Dai batted for 51.4 overs, bringing up their maiden first-class fifties. Vala went on to convert his into a hundred, which he brought up off 164 balls with a four through the leg side.Their partnership ended when Dai was lbw to Michael Rippon for 91; it had come at the rate of 3.87 runs per over. PNG needed 23 more to win and their captain Jack Vare saw the chase through with Vala, who hit 13 fours in his 200-ball innings. Vare finished the game with a boundary and put PNG on the first-class map. They had also been the first team to win their first two ODIs, against Hong Kong in November last year.Netherlands, playing their seventh Intercontinental Cup, struggled for wickets on the day and allowed the first-class debutants 22 fours and a six.