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  Feb 25, 2002 Cricket | Feedback




Zimbabwe in India

First Test, Nagpur, day four (final session):
Zimbabwe 287 and 152-4 v India 570-7 dec.

Anil Kumble Zimbabwean opener Trevor Gripper, 52 not out, was playing something of a lone hand as the tourists strived to save the first Test in India.

Anil Kumble has three of their four wickets to fall and is likely to spearhead his team's victory push on Monday. Zimbabwe are 131 runs away from making India bat again.

Starting their second innings 283 runs in arrears, Zimbabwe lost skipper Stuart Carlisle for 28, Alistair Campbell for 30 and Andy Flower for eight.

England in New Zealand

Stephen FlemingNew Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has called for a change to the Duckworth-Lewis system for deciding rain-delayed one-day internationals.

Fleming raised his objections to the system following the Kiwis' defeat by England in the fourth one-dayer between the two sides on Saturday.

Heavy downpours hampered the progress of the match and England scored 193 for the loss of six wickets off 40 overs.

Under the Duckworth-Lewis method, New Zealand were set 223 for the win but they were dismissed for just 189.

And Fleming, ahead of the fifth match between the two sides, said: "I'd like to see the Duckworth-Lewis method revised.

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Michael Vaughan is beginning to wonder if he is cursed after his latest injury setback almost certainly put him out of the one-day series decider with New Zealand.

Vaughan hurt his shoulder trying to take a catch in the deep during England's series-levelling win in Auckland on Saturday, and will have a scan on Monday to reveal the extent of the damage. His right arm has been in a sling since the incident and he is unlikely to be risked in Dunedin where the one-day series with New Zealand will be settled.

Australia vs South Africa

First Test, Johannesburg, day three:
Australia 652-7 dec beat South Africa 159 and 133 by an innings and 360 runs.

Shane Warne became the second-highest Test wicket-taker and Glenn McGrath grabbed three wickets in four balls as South Africa plunged to one of the heftiest of defeats in Test history.

In little more than two sessions of play on Sunday, South Africa lost 16 wickets as Australia hammered home their advantage and underlined their dominance in the world Test arena.

The home side were forced to follow on 493 runs behind the Aussies after falling for 159 in their first innings and then capitulated for a second time.

Warne, in a beautiful spell of leg-spin bowling before tea struck four times to overtake Kapil Dev on the all-time list of Test wicket-takers. Warne now has 436 victims in 99 Tests.

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Adam Gilchrist It says a lot of the brilliance of Adam Gilchrist that he could score Test cricket's fastest double century then confess there were days when he had hit it better.

"It sounds a bit funny but it's probably not the best I have hit the ball through a whole innings," Gilchrist said of his epic 204 not out off 213 balls against South Africa here on Saturday.

"I went through flat patches which I guess if you bat long enough you will come across that a bit."

Gilchrist is the talk of a gob-smacked South African nation, one conditioned to seeing its bowlers being unchallenged kings on home soil, not being hit out of the ground like once-a-year park bowlers.

Gilchrist and Damien Martyn (133), contrasting characters but close friends for many years, scored history's second biggest sixth wicket partnership of 317, tantalisingly close to the 346 managed by Don Bradman and Jack Fingleton against England at the MCG in 1936-37.

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Shane Warne Shane Warne has revealed that cutting out junk food and beer has given him a new lease on life after a six-wicket haul in his team's crushing first Test win over South Africa.

Warne jumped two places to become the second-highest Test wicket-taker of all time with his performance then revealed he had lost eight kilograms.

The controversial spin king has 436 wickets after his performance at the Wanderers, where he overtook New Zealand's Sir Richard Hadlee (431) and India's Kapil Dev (434).

The only man still ahead of him is Courtney Walsh, the West Indian fast bowler who retired last year after taking 519 wickets. "Courtney is miles ahead," Warne said when asked if he was seeking the number one spot.

But Warne revealed he had been on a health drive to prolong his career. "No pizzas, no beer," Warne said. The 32-year-old then elaborated on his list of forbidden items.

"Pizza, toasted cheese sandwiches, chips, potato chips, chocolate rolls, vanilla slices ... it doesn't leave much except cereal, baked beans and water," he said.

Miscellaneous

Don Bradman A life-size bronze statue of cricketer Sir Donald Bradman has been unveiled in the New South Wales state town he made famous, marking his death one year ago.

Called The Final Salute, the statue was presented to a capacity crowd at the Bradman Museum in Bowral south of Sydney where Bradman played his first cricket match.

Former Australian test cricketer Bill Brown unveiled the work, which shows Bradman in his early 30s, bat by his side, doffing his cap as a greeting to passers-by.

Artist Tanya Bartlett said the pose was chosen by the Bradman Foundation board over a cover drive stance because it said more about the man, not just the cricketer.

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