Sharma takes 10 as Windies force draw

 

Man of the Match Ishant Sharma took his first 10-wicket haul to bring India within touching distance of victory against West Indies in the second Test. However, determined batting by Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Darren Bravo and Clayton Baugh saw the West Indies draw with three wickets left in the bank when rain stopped play.

Sharma’s 10/108 was head and shoulders over all other performances, and he is now a mature, thoroughly impressive bowler who will be a handful in South Africa later this year.

In Harare, South Africa A survived a late scare to pull off the tightest of wins against a Zimbabwe XI in their three-way tournament that also features Australia A. Captains Jacques Rudolph and Brendan Taylor anchored their respective innings with 98 each, and the home team came desperately close before Heino Kuhn stumped Forster Mutizwa off the last ball of the game.

Test match

-- India 201 (Laxman 85) and 269/6 dec (Dravid 55, Laxman 87; Edwards 5/75). West Indies 190 (Samuels 78*; Sharma 6/55) and 202/7 (Bravo 73; Sharma 4/53).

Unofficial ODI

South Africa A 238/9 (Rudolph 98, Kuhn 61; Utseya 4/49). Zimbabwe XI 237/7 (Taylor 98). South Africa A won by 1 run.

County championship

– Sussex 251 (Goodwin 79*, Joyce 73*) and 301 (Wright 116, Rayner 58). Warwickshire 481 (Clarke 81, Maddy 76, Westwood 72, Porterfield 56, Barker 52, Chopra 50) and 72/2. Warwickshire won by 8 wickets.

Friends Life t20

– Essex 139/9. Middlesex 131/8. Essex won by 8 runs. — Staff Reporter, SportsCentral