The Hindu : Delightful knock by Daniels

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 30, 2003

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Delightful knock by Daniels

By G. Viswanath

Photo: Vivek Bendre

Ian Daniels of Sri Lanka `A' sends Ramesh Powar of India `A' to the fence during his century knock in the second Test at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium at Pune on Saturday.

Pune Nov. 29. The Nehru Stadium pitch was as good as the home team's coach had predicted. There was no extra bounce and sideways movement to worry the batsmen and it was in these encouraging conditions that the Sri Lanka `A' top order ran into form.

Two century partnerships and a fine 111 from Ian Daniels enabled the visitor make a sound start, scoring 255 for three on the first day of the second `Test'. The Indian bowlers had to pay a heavy price for wickets though they completed their quota of 90 overs in time for the first time in the series.

Less then a month ago, Australia's Nathan Bracken and Brad Williams proved to be the Black Caps' bane on a spiteful surface here. There was no such demon for the Sri Lankan openers while facing Munaf Patel and Amit Bhandari.

The Bharuch-born Patel has played three first class matches and still has a long way to go before being regarded as a genuine fast bowler. He was quite ordinary in the first spell, prompting skipper Shiv Sundar Das to remove him even before the first hour. Das introduced left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, who went on to bowl 26 overs during the day.

Without being spectacular, the Sri Lanka `A' openers raised exactly 100 in a little over two and a half hours. Prasanna Jayawardane was willing to play second fiddle, allowing Daniels to provide the thrust. The first big boundary was hit half-an-hour before lunch by Daniels, after a few fours had rolled over the rope.

Jayawardane found Gautam Gambhir in the way at cover when he essayed a cover drive off Bhandari, but lefthander Jehan Mubarak did not give the impression of a batsman short on confidence following his cheap dismissals at Motera. He enjoyed a `life' at 39 when Bhandari failed to take control of a catch at point off Powar who was even more hurt when Mubarak (64, 124m, 115, 9x4) cut, drove and pulled him for three fours in the next over.

The highlight of the day was the sound temperament and range of strokes shown by Daniels (111, 335m, 256b, 13x4, 2x6), the on-drive off Kartik easily the pick.

The game was stopped briefly to fix his troubling left leg after he had reached his century. An accurate throw from Das resulted in his dismissal after he and Naveed Nawaz attempted to steal a single.

Kartik and Powar bowled 53 overs between them, and the part-timers another five, after Sri Lanka `A' won the toss and decided to bat. Kartik beat the bat a few times and Powar managed to knock down Mubarak's leg-stump. The flat pitch offered them no help and respite at all.

The scores:

Sri Lanka `A' — 1st innings: P. Jayawardane c Gambhir b Bhandari 40; I. Daniels (run out) 111; J. Mubarak b Powar 64; N. Nawaz (batting) 17; Lanka de Silva (batting) 8; Extras (b-4, lb-3, nb-7, w-1) 15; Total (for three wkts.) 255.

Fall of wickets: 1-100, 2-212, 3-236.

India `A' bowling: Patel 12-3-35-0, Bhandari 20-7-53-1, Kartik 26-6-73-0, Powar 27-7-74-1, Sriram 3-0-8-0, Gavaskar 1-0-3-0, Gambhir 1-0-2-0.

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