International Cricket Thread

[Kevin S]

International Cricket Thread

Cricket Ireland announce details of their tour against Afghanistan next March.

The biggie is the first class match at the end of the tour. It will be one of the rounds in the ICC Intercontinental Cup, and these are the top two sides so far.

The ultimate winner of the ICC Intercontinental Cup will get to play a series of first class matches against the lowest ranked Test Nation, with the chance of winning full Test Status for themselves.

(Though as was mentioned a few pages back, it looks like the ICC haven't entirely made their mind up about what to do with Afghanistan and Ireland yet).

[Etienne]

International Cricket Thread

West Indies have located a spine.

[SouthdownRebel]

International Cricket Thread

Yes, I doubt anybody saw this coming. Not much batting to follow the Chase/Holder partnership but they have a chance at least to save the test, where the situation seemed hopeless before play began today.

Roston Chase the first to take a five-for and score a century in the same test for West Indies since somebody called G. Sobers 50 years ago.

[San Bernardhinault]

International Cricket Thread

It's looking quite likely that they'll do it! Even if the last 4 wickets fall on consecutive balls, the asking rate is now going to be around 6.

[SouthdownRebel]

International Cricket Thread

Job done! They've scored about 340/2 today, which is a phenomenal effort.

[Etienne]

International Cricket Thread

Fabulous innings by Chase.

[SouthdownRebel]

International Cricket Thread

It's just a shame there was hardly anyone at the ground to see it.

[Etienne]

International Cricket Thread

Herath hat-trick, as Australia collapse in a heap in Galle.

[tee rex]

International Cricket Thread

42 Test hat-tricks now. About double what I would have guessed.

The first New Zealander to do it was ... completely forgotten.

[Etienne]

International Cricket Thread

Peter Petherick.

[Etienne]

International Cricket Thread

Peter Petherick picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Four players have taken test hat tricks and also been one of the dismissed players in a test hat trick.

Who are they?

[nmrfox]

International Cricket Thread

Harbhajan Singh is definitely one, as I remember reading about his at Trent Bridge before he was the second of Stuart Broads wickets that sunny afternoon (and no doubt regretted India not using DRS as it was a clear inside edge for his LBW).

[Etienne]

International Cricket Thread

Harbhajan is right. Which prompted me to realise there is a 4th.

[Kevin S]

International Cricket Thread

Day two and nearly three quarters of the wickets have fallen!

[Kevin S]

International Cricket Thread

Sorry, that's obviously garbage, it'll be three quarters at the end of SL's innings.

It's still 60%, though.

[nmrfox]

International Cricket Thread

Etienne wrote: Harbhajan is right. Which prompted me to realise there is a 4th.

So I'll have an educated guess at Stuart Broad as one of the three. Complete guess for the other two, going on that they were great bowlers but worse than average batsmen - Courtney Walsh and Glenn McGrath?

[Etienne]

International Cricket Thread

Broad is correct - he's one of three bowlers to take 2 hat tricks (Jimmy Matthews did it in the same test, and Wasim Akram are the others). He was also the final dismissal in Peter Siddle's 2010 hat trick.

[Duncan Gardner]

International Cricket Thread

I'm with Kev- the Murali-Warne trophy is horrible.

[Kevin S]

International Cricket Thread

Cheating here, but cricinfo has five:

[spoiler]
DNT Zoysa
took:
R Gripper, MW Goodwin, NC Johnson
SL v Zim
Harare 1999-2000
(With his first three balls of the test)

was taken by:
Mohammad Sami
TCB Fernando, DNT Zoysa, M Muralitharan
Pak v SL
Lahore 2001-02

SK Warne
took:
PAJ DeFreitas, D Gough, DE Malcolm
Aus v Eng
Melbourne 1994-95

was taken by:
Harbhajan Singh
RT Ponting, AC Gilchrist, SK Warne
Ind v Aus
Kolkata 2000-01

D Gough
took:
IA Healy, SCG MacGill, CR Miller
Eng v Aus
Sydney 1998-99

was taken by:
SK Warne (above)

Harbhajan Singh
took:
Aussies including Warne, above

was taken by:
SCJ Broad
MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, P Kumar
Eng v Ind
Nottingham 2011

SCJ Broad
took:
Indians including Harbhajan, above

and
KC Sangakkara, LD Chandimal, RMS Eranga
Eng v SL
Leeds 2014

was taken by:
PM Siddle
AN Cook, MJ Prior, SCJ Broad
Aus v Eng
Brisbane 2010-11

Gough looks to be the only one of the five who was a victim before an achiever of a hat-trick.
[/spoiler]

[Antepli Ejderha]

International Cricket Thread

Australia collapsed to 106 and Sri Lanka now lead by 279. 155 runs scored so far today with 13 wickets lost, mad stuff.

Mathews is showing that runs can be scored on this pitch.

[Antepli Ejderha]

International Cricket Thread

Etienne wrote: Herath hat-trick, as Australia collapse in a heap in Galle.

At 38 he must be one of, if not, the oldest takers of a hat-trick.

[Etienne]

International Cricket Thread

Fair enough. I added Warne when I saw he was one of Harbhajan's victims, but missed Gough.

[Kevin S]

International Cricket Thread

Maybe one day there will be some reciprocal hat-tricks. Looks like Warne was at the non-striker's end for Gough's?

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/63818.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qgpWU38fH4

[nmrfox]

International Cricket Thread

Appreciate that it's a very subjective view, but of those in my lifetime I'd venture that India's Irfan Pathan dismissing Salman Butt, Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousef (and in Karachi too) probably just pips Harbhajan's hat trick of Ponting, Gilchrist & Warne as the best in terms of quality of batsmen dismissed.

Honourable mentions to Glenn McGrath (Sherwin Campbell, Brian Lara, Jimmy Adams) at the WACA and Hoggy in Barbados (Sarwan, Chanderpaul, Hinds).

[SouthdownRebel]

International Cricket Thread

Sri Lanka wrap up the series with minimal fuss on the third day. Bowled spin throughout the second innings, and their debutant seamer only had two overs in the first.

Australia's eighth consecutive test defeat in Asia. They remain hopeless with the bat in anything but benign conditions.