Cricket at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Encyclopedia
Cricket was included in the 1998 Commonwealth Games
in Malaysia. This was the first—and, to date, only—time cricket has been played at a Commonwealth Games
. Matches were played over 50 overs, and had List A status, although they were not full One Day Internationals. As is normal at the Commonwealth Games, the Caribbean
islands that entered participated as separate nations, not as the combined West Indies team. Indeed, the Games were the first occasion on which an Antigua and Barbuda side competed at a senior level. Northern Ireland
also entered, this occurrence being noteworthy because Irish cricket is usually represented by an all-island Irish cricket team
.
Sixteen teams entered the competition, including seven of the nine then Test
-playing nations: West Indies did not enter as mentioned above, while England
declined to send a team at all, on the grounds that the September date chosen clashed with other fixtures such as the end of the County Championship
. The strength of the teams that were entered varied somewhat: Australia
sent a high-quality squad packed with Test and ODI regulars while India
and Pakistan
sent weakened teams as a result of a clash with the 1998 Sahara Cup
. Eventual gold medal
winners South Africa
were also below full strength, though their team still included Test regulars Shaun Pollock
, Jacques Kallis
, Makhaya Ntini
, Mark Boucher
, and Herschelle Gibbs
.
. The 16 teams were divided into four groups of four on a seeded basis. Each team played the other three once in matches packed into a single week between 9 September and 15 September, scoring two points for a win, one for a no-result and none for a loss. The top team in each group went forward to the knock-out stages of semi-finals and final (plus a third-place play-off). Teams with equal numbers of points were separated on net run rate
, but in the event this rule was only needed to decide the minor placings.
hitting 107 (Sri Lanka 211/5; Jamaica 144/8), before a thrilling decider against Zimbabwe. The Africans reached 265/7 (Campbell
82, Goodwin
55), in reply to which Sri Lanka stumbled to 110/5 before Hathurusingha
(60) and de Saram
(75*
) brought them close to victory at 258/6. Streak
then took three quick wickets, but the last pair survived to give Sri Lanka a one-wicket win.
In the other Group A games, Zimbabwe (144/4) beat Jamaica (142ao) by six wickets thanks in large measure to an unbeaten 55 from Evans
, then piled up 309/9 (Flower
70, Evans
59, Goodwin 53) as they crushed a poor Malaysia side (88ao; Nkala
3-6) by 221 runs. The wooden spoon
game saw Malaysia crumble to 83ao thanks to 4-13 from Cunningham
and lose by six wickets to Jamaica (87/4).
4-17); the Australians made 61/1 in 14 overs. Then followed another Fleming masterclass: he took 5-24 as Antigua and Barbuda were dismissed for 99; Australia made 101/3 in reply. Finally came the heavyweight clash against India, but despite the Indians reducing their opponents to 84/5, 100 from Steve Waugh
and 78* from Moody
contributed to a total of 255/5 that proved far too much as India stuttered to 109ao.
Antigua and Barbuda put up 164/9 (a recovery from 77/7) in a 41-over match against India, but the rain fell again with India 30/2 in reply and the match was declared a no-result. India were dependent on Khurasiya
's 83 against Canada - no other batsman passed 22 - but their 157/9 turned out to be well sufficient as their opponents fell apart, Kumble
claiming 4-11 as the Canadians were humiliatingly dismissed for 45. Antigua and Barbuda (256/7) beat Canada (135ao) thanks to a fine all-round display from Lake
, who made 54 before retiring hurt and then took 4-17; Walsh
also made 51 for the Antiguans.
was used to calculate a target of 131 from 38 overs for the South Africans, who won by making 133/6. South Africa then bowled out Bangladesh for a paltry 79 and made 80/5 for a five-wicket victory, before rounding things off against Barbados. The Barbadians set a useful 254/6 (Wallace
74), but 71 from Kallis
and 54 from Gibbs
saw their opponents through to 257/6 with ten balls remaining.
Barbados (160/6 in 41.3ov) beat Bangladesh (144/7 in 47ov, Shahriar Hossain
70*) under the Duckworth-Lewis method, then destroyed Northern Ireland by 176 runs. Scores of 92 from Wallace, 66 from Griffith and 60 from Campbell
contributed to a daunting 296/5 which the Irish never got anywhere near despite Smyth
's 58, instead crawling to just 120/7. However, Northern Ireland came back well to beat Bangladesh by 114 runs: the Irish made a creditable 177 (McCallan
53) before Cooke
ran through the Bangladeshi order, taking 5-35 as they were dismissed for 63.
102, Parore
87), then Harris
took 4-25 as Scotland could manage only 101 all out. Finally the Kiwis won the crunch match against Pakistan by 81 runs: New Zealand's 215/8 was boosted by 66 from Fleming despite Shoaib Akhtar
's 4-47, but only three Pakistanis (and Extras
) reached double figures as they lost their last six wickets for 21 runs, being bowled out for 134 to slide to an 81-run defeat.
Pakistan had earlier been frustrated by rain against Scotland; they had scored 201/5 from their 50 overs (Akhtar Sarfraz
66*) and had reduced the Scots to 31/3 when the weather intervened. The Pakistanis did beat Kenya, however: Odoyo's 4-39 had restricted them to 189/8, but Arshad Khan
's 4-14 and Javed Qadeer
's five catches behind the stumps helped Pakistan to a 129-run win as they dismissed the Africans for only 60. Odumbe
took 5-38 as Kenya kept Scotland down to 156/8; they then made 157/5 to win with 12.3 overs in hand.
's 4-16 kept the Sri Lankans' score down to a distinctly unimpressive 130 as they were bowled out in 44 overs. In reply, South Africa lost wickets at regular intervals, with the highest score being opener Rindel's 25. At 96/9 all looked lost, but then Boje (20*) and Dawson (15*) compiled an unbroken stand of 35 for the last wicket to lead their team to 131/9 and a one-wicket victory.
clash saw New Zealand collapse to a feeble 58 all out after being sent in, with only captain Fleming reaching 20. Australian slow left-armer Brad Young took a hat-trick
to finish with an exceptional analysis
of 4-2-4-4. In reply, the Australians rattled along at nearly six an over, losing only Mark Waugh
as they raced to 62/1 in 10.5 overs with Gilchrist
smashing three sixes as he hit 42 from 36 balls.
's 45, it was never likely to be enough and they were bowled out for 161.
was the chief destroyer for South Africa, with 4-19 from nine tight overs to remove Mark Waugh
, Ponting
, Gilchrist and Lehmann
. South Africa got off to a good start in their reply with an opening partnership of 73 between Rindel (67) and Hudson
(36). A burst of wickets from Lehmann (3-14) saw the South Africans wobble as they fell from 158/2 to 183/6, but it was too late for Australia and Kallis
' watchful 44 from 96 balls saw South Africa through to 184/6 and the gold medal.
in Manchester
and the 2006 games
in Melbourne
. It had been hoped that a Twenty20
tournament could be included at the 2010 games
in Delhi
, but the BCCI
was not keen on a Twenty20 tournament. Now with the immense success of IPL
the board is seriously considering a T-20 tournament in the Commonwealth games http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/234191.html The president of the Commonwealth Games federation wants to bring cricket back into the games, and the Glasgow bid for the 2014 games
has indicated that they would include cricket. http://content.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/240675.html Former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist
and various others including Steve Waugh
, Kumar Sangakkara
, Sourav Ganguly
and Stephen Fleming
are also pushing for inclusion of the Twenty20
format in the 2020 Olympic Games
as a bid to help globalise cricket http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/current/story/363699.html.
1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...
in Malaysia. This was the first—and, to date, only—time cricket has been played at a Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
. Matches were played over 50 overs, and had List A status, although they were not full One Day Internationals. As is normal at the Commonwealth Games, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
islands that entered participated as separate nations, not as the combined West Indies team. Indeed, the Games were the first occasion on which an Antigua and Barbuda side competed at a senior level. Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
also entered, this occurrence being noteworthy because Irish cricket is usually represented by an all-island Irish cricket team
Irish cricket team
The Ireland cricket team is the cricket team representing all of Ireland. Because of political difficulties, the Irish Cricket Union was not elected to the International Cricket Council until 1993, and qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2007. The Irish Cricket Union is the...
.
Sixteen teams entered the competition, including seven of the nine then Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
-playing nations: West Indies did not enter as mentioned above, while England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
declined to send a team at all, on the grounds that the September date chosen clashed with other fixtures such as the end of the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
. The strength of the teams that were entered varied somewhat: Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
sent a high-quality squad packed with Test and ODI regulars while India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
and Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
sent weakened teams as a result of a clash with the 1998 Sahara Cup
Sahara Cup
The Sahara Cup was a bilateral ODI cricket series between Pakistan and India, which was held annually in Canada. It was staged from 1996 to 1998 at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club. The series consisted of 5 ODIs, and all the matches were played in daylight.Pakistan won the first...
. Eventual gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
winners South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
were also below full strength, though their team still included Test regulars Shaun Pollock
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
, Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both...
, Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini is a former South African cricketer who was the first ethnically black player to play for the South African team. A fast bowler, he tends to bowl from wide of the crease with brisk, although not express, pace...
, Mark Boucher
Mark Boucher
Mark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer, who holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He was educated at Selborne College and has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, and...
, and Herschelle Gibbs
Herschelle Gibbs
Herschelle Herman Gibbs is a South African cricketer, more specifically a batsman.Gibbs was schooled at St Joseph's Marist College and then Diocesan College in Rondebosch...
.
Competition format
All matches were played at one of six grounds in Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. The 16 teams were divided into four groups of four on a seeded basis. Each team played the other three once in matches packed into a single week between 9 September and 15 September, scoring two points for a win, one for a no-result and none for a loss. The top team in each group went forward to the knock-out stages of semi-finals and final (plus a third-place play-off). Teams with equal numbers of points were separated on net run rate
Run rate
In cricket, the run rate , or runs per over is the number of runs a batsman scores in an over of 6 balls. It includes all runs, even the so-called extras awarded due to errors by the bowler. Without extras and overthrows, the maximum run rate is 36 – if every ball were struck for six and, as...
, but in the event this rule was only needed to decide the minor placings.
Teams
- Group A: Jamaica, MalaysiaMalaysian cricket teamThe Malaysia national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Malaysia in international cricket matches. They have been an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1967.-Early days:...
, Sri LankaSri Lankan cricket teamThe Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
, ZimbabweZimbabwean cricket teamThe Zimbabwean cricket team is a national cricket team representing Zimbabwe. It is administrated by Zimbabwe Cricket... - Group B: Antigua and Barbuda, AustraliaAustralian cricket teamThe Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
, CanadaCanadian cricket teamThe Canada cricket team is the national cricket team representing Canada in men's international competition. It is run by Cricket Canada.While Canada is not sanctioned to play Test matches, the team does take part in One Day International matches and also in first-class games against other...
, IndiaIndian cricket teamThe Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status.... - Group C: BangladeshBangladeshi cricket teamThe Bangladesh national cricket team is a national cricket team representing Bangladesh. The team is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board . Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status...
, Barbados, Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland national cricket teamThe Northern Ireland national cricket team has represented Northern Ireland in international cricket competition once, in the 1998 Commonwealth Games.-History:...
, South AfricaSouth African cricket teamThe South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status... - Group D: KenyaKenyan cricket teamThe Kenya national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Kenya in international cricket matches. They are considered one of the strongest of the associate member nations of the International Cricket Council, especially since reaching the semi-final of the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
, New ZealandNew Zealand cricket teamThe New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
, PakistanPakistani cricket teamThe Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
, ScotlandScottish cricket teamThe Scotland national cricket team represents Scotland in the game of cricket. They compete in the Clydesdale Bank 40 as the Scottish Saltires...
Group A
Sri Lanka won all three of their games to qualify for the semi-finals. A straightforward seven-wicket victory over Malaysia (who collapsed from 87/3 to 109ao; Sri Lanka reached 112/3) was followed by a 67-run win over Jamaica with GunawardeneAvishka Gunawardene
Dihan Avishka Gunawardene is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is an explosive left-handed batsman who first came into the public eye during the 1998 Commonwealth Games, when he scored a century and achieved the highest score in the South African defeat.Despite a few centuries, avoidable dismissals...
hitting 107 (Sri Lanka 211/5; Jamaica 144/8), before a thrilling decider against Zimbabwe. The Africans reached 265/7 (Campbell
Alistair Campbell (cricketer)
Alistair Douglas Ross Campbell is a former Zimbabwean Test cricketer. In total he played 60 matches in his Test career, captaining Zimbabwe on 21 occasions. He also played 188 One Day Internationals, being captain in 86 of them...
82, Goodwin
Murray Goodwin
Murray William Goodwin is a cricketer who played 19 Tests and 71 One Day Internationals for Zimbabwe. He is a right-handed top order batsman strong on the back-foot and a good cutter and puller of the ball....
55), in reply to which Sri Lanka stumbled to 110/5 before Hathurusingha
Chandika Hathurusingha
Upul Chandika Hathurusingha is a former Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler....
(60) and de Saram
Indika de Saram
Samantha Indika de Saram is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler who usually occupies the position of wicketkeeper....
(75*
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
) brought them close to victory at 258/6. Streak
Heath Streak
Heath Hilton Streak is a former Zimbabwean cricketer. He made his Test debut in Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan 1993/1994 making his mark by taking 8 wickets in the 2nd Test at Rawalpindi...
then took three quick wickets, but the last pair survived to give Sri Lanka a one-wicket win.
In the other Group A games, Zimbabwe (144/4) beat Jamaica (142ao) by six wickets thanks in large measure to an unbeaten 55 from Evans
Craig Evans
Craig Neil Evans is a Zimbabwean cricketer and rugby union footballer.-Cricket:He played in two Tests, against Sri Lanka and Australia, but is considered a specialist at the one-day game...
, then piled up 309/9 (Flower
Andy Flower
Andrew "Andy" Flower OBE is a former international cricketer for Zimbabwe and is currently the England coach.-Playing career:...
70, Evans
Craig Evans
Craig Neil Evans is a Zimbabwean cricketer and rugby union footballer.-Cricket:He played in two Tests, against Sri Lanka and Australia, but is considered a specialist at the one-day game...
59, Goodwin 53) as they crushed a poor Malaysia side (88ao; Nkala
Mluleki Nkala
Mluleki Luke Nkala commonly known as Syke, is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He took the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar with his second ball in senior international cricket, in a one-dayer against India at Bulawayo in 1999...
3-6) by 221 runs. The wooden spoon
Wooden spoon (award)
A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...
game saw Malaysia crumble to 83ao thanks to 4-13 from Cunningham
Ryan Cunningham
Ryan Cunningham is a West Indian cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a left-arm spin bowler. He has played 29 first-class and eight List A matches, mainly for Jamaica. He represented Jamaica at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. He currently plays at Sawbridgeworth cricket club-References:**...
and lose by six wickets to Jamaica (87/4).
Group B
Australia scored three wins out of three in this group. First came a nine wicket demolition of Canada who could muster just 60ao (FlemingDamien Fleming
Damien William Fleming is a former Australian cricketer who played in 20 Tests and 88 ODIs from 1994 to 2001....
4-17); the Australians made 61/1 in 14 overs. Then followed another Fleming masterclass: he took 5-24 as Antigua and Barbuda were dismissed for 99; Australia made 101/3 in reply. Finally came the heavyweight clash against India, but despite the Indians reducing their opponents to 84/5, 100 from Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
and 78* from Moody
Tom Moody
Thomas Masson Moody is a former Australian cricketer and coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team. Today he is the coach for the IPL team Kings XI Punjab...
contributed to a total of 255/5 that proved far too much as India stuttered to 109ao.
Antigua and Barbuda put up 164/9 (a recovery from 77/7) in a 41-over match against India, but the rain fell again with India 30/2 in reply and the match was declared a no-result. India were dependent on Khurasiya
Amay Khurasiya
Amay Khurasiya is a former Indian cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm bowler.- Career :...
's 83 against Canada - no other batsman passed 22 - but their 157/9 turned out to be well sufficient as their opponents fell apart, Kumble
Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian Test cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-hand batsman. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches...
claiming 4-11 as the Canadians were humiliatingly dismissed for 45. Antigua and Barbuda (256/7) beat Canada (135ao) thanks to a fine all-round display from Lake
Anthony Lake (cricketer)
Anthony Lake is a West Indian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler. He has played 12 first-class and 26 List A matches in his career, mainly for the Leeward Islands...
, who made 54 before retiring hurt and then took 4-17; Walsh
Albert Walsh (cricketer)
Albert Walsh is a former West Indian cricketer. He was a left-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler. He played 18 first-class and nine List A matches for the Leeward Islands in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
also made 51 for the Antiguans.
Group C
Honours in this group went to South Africa, who started off against Northern Ireland. The Irish had reached 89/5 from 38.1 overs when it rained, and the Duckworth-Lewis methodDuckworth-Lewis method
In the sport of cricket, the Duckworth–Lewis method is a mathematical formulation designed to calculate the target score for the team batting second in a one-day cricket or Twenty20 cricket match interrupted by weather or other circumstance...
was used to calculate a target of 131 from 38 overs for the South Africans, who won by making 133/6. South Africa then bowled out Bangladesh for a paltry 79 and made 80/5 for a five-wicket victory, before rounding things off against Barbados. The Barbadians set a useful 254/6 (Wallace
Philo Wallace
Philo Alphonso Wallace is a Barbadian cricketer who plays for the West Indies.Having first attempted to get into cricket in 1990, he made the big time in 1997–98 after hitting 198 runs in two Test matches...
74), but 71 from Kallis
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both...
and 54 from Gibbs
Herschelle Gibbs
Herschelle Herman Gibbs is a South African cricketer, more specifically a batsman.Gibbs was schooled at St Joseph's Marist College and then Diocesan College in Rondebosch...
saw their opponents through to 257/6 with ten balls remaining.
Barbados (160/6 in 41.3ov) beat Bangladesh (144/7 in 47ov, Shahriar Hossain
Shahriar Hossain
Shahriar Hossain is a Bangladeshi cricketer who played in 3 Tests from 2000 to 2004.He was also one of the members of the inaugural Test for Bangladesh the member of the 1999 World Cup Team.-In Test Matches:...
70*) under the Duckworth-Lewis method, then destroyed Northern Ireland by 176 runs. Scores of 92 from Wallace, 66 from Griffith and 60 from Campbell
Sherwin Campbell
Sherwin Legay Campbell is a West Indian cricketer who played 52 Tests and 90 One Day Internationals for the West Indies. He has played a total of 177 first class games between 1990–91 and 2004–05, scoring more than 10,000 first class runs with 26 centuries...
contributed to a daunting 296/5 which the Irish never got anywhere near despite Smyth
Stephen Smyth
Stephen Smyth is a former Irish cricketer. He was a left-handed batsman. He made his début for Ireland against Worcestershire in 1990, eventually playing for his country on 64 occasions, including five first-class and ten List A matches...
's 58, instead crawling to just 120/7. However, Northern Ireland came back well to beat Bangladesh by 114 runs: the Irish made a creditable 177 (McCallan
Kyle McCallan
William Kyle McCallan, MBE , usually known as Kyle McCallan, is an Irish cricketer. A right-handed batsman and off spin bowler, he has played more times for the Ireland cricket team than any other player, more than 40 caps ahead of the next player in the table, the retired Peter Gillespie...
53) before Cooke
Gordon Cooke
Gordon Cooke is a former Irish cricketer, from Derry, Northern Ireland. A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler, he played 66 times for the Irish cricket team between 1994 and 2005....
ran through the Bangladeshi order, taking 5-35 as they were dismissed for 63.
Group D
One-day specialists New Zealand won all their matches in Group D, beginning with a comfortable five-wicket win over Kenya (Kenya 144/8; New Zealand 145/5) before an even more straightforward success against Scotland. The New Zealanders amassed 278/6 (FlemingStephen Fleming
Stephen Paul Fleming ONZM is a New Zealand cricketer, and the former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, in Test and one-day cricket...
102, Parore
Adam Parore
Adam Craig Parore is a former wicket-keeper and batsman for the New Zealand cricket team. He played 78 Test cricket matches for New Zealand and 179 One Day International cricket matches...
87), then Harris
Chris Harris (cricketer)
Chris Zinzan Harris is a former New Zealand cricketer who had become, over the course of the 1990s, a folk-hero in New Zealand cricket....
took 4-25 as Scotland could manage only 101 all out. Finally the Kiwis won the crunch match against Pakistan by 81 runs: New Zealand's 215/8 was boosted by 66 from Fleming despite Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against...
's 4-47, but only three Pakistanis (and Extras
Extra (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an extra is a run scored by a means other than a batsman hitting the ball.Other than runs scored off the bat from a no ball, a batsman is not given credit for extras and the extras are tallied separately on the scorecard and count only towards the team's score...
) reached double figures as they lost their last six wickets for 21 runs, being bowled out for 134 to slide to an 81-run defeat.
Pakistan had earlier been frustrated by rain against Scotland; they had scored 201/5 from their 50 overs (Akhtar Sarfraz
Akhtar Sarfraz
Akhtar Sarfraz is a Pakistani cricketer who played five ODIs between 1997 to 1998.- References :...
66*) and had reduced the Scots to 31/3 when the weather intervened. The Pakistanis did beat Kenya, however: Odoyo's 4-39 had restricted them to 189/8, but Arshad Khan
Arshad Khan
Arshad Khan is a Pakistani cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler....
's 4-14 and Javed Qadeer
Javed Qadeer
Javed Qadeer is a former Pakistani cricketer who played one ODI in 1995 as a wicket-keeper....
's five catches behind the stumps helped Pakistan to a 129-run win as they dismissed the Africans for only 60. Odumbe
Maurice Odumbe
Maurice Omondi Odumbe is a Kenyan cricketer who was suspended from cricket in August 2004 after being found guilty of receiving money from bookmakers....
took 5-38 as Kenya kept Scotland down to 156/8; they then made 157/5 to win with 12.3 overs in hand.
Final group tables
Teams highlighted in yellow qualified for the semi-finals.| Group A | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | NR | RR Run rate In cricket, the run rate , or runs per over is the number of runs a batsman scores in an over of 6 balls. It includes all runs, even the so-called extras awarded due to errors by the bowler. Without extras and overthrows, the maximum run rate is 36 – if every ball were struck for six and, as... |
Pts |
| 1 |  Sri LankaSri Lankan cricket team The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation... |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.581 | 6 |
| 2 |  ZimbabweZimbabwean cricket team The Zimbabwean cricket team is a national cricket team representing Zimbabwe. It is administrated by Zimbabwe Cricket... |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1.887 | 4 |
| 3 |  Jamaica |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | −0.122 | 2 |
| 4 |  MalaysiaMalaysian cricket team The Malaysia national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Malaysia in international cricket matches. They have been an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1967.-Early days:... |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | −3.736 | 0 |
| Group B | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | NR | RR Run rate In cricket, the run rate , or runs per over is the number of runs a batsman scores in an over of 6 balls. It includes all runs, even the so-called extras awarded due to errors by the bowler. Without extras and overthrows, the maximum run rate is 36 – if every ball were struck for six and, as... |
Pts |
| 1 |  AustraliaAustralian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3.299 | 6 |
| 2 |  Antigua and Barbuda |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.079 | 3 |
| 3 |  IndiaIndian cricket team The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status.... |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | −0.340 | 3 |
| 4 |  CanadaCanadian cricket team The Canada cricket team is the national cricket team representing Canada in men's international competition. It is run by Cricket Canada.While Canada is not sanctioned to play Test matches, the team does take part in One Day International matches and also in first-class games against other... |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | −2.558 | 0 |
| Group C | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | NR | RR Run rate In cricket, the run rate , or runs per over is the number of runs a batsman scores in an over of 6 balls. It includes all runs, even the so-called extras awarded due to errors by the bowler. Without extras and overthrows, the maximum run rate is 36 – if every ball were struck for six and, as... |
Pts |
| 1 |  South AfricaSouth African cricket team The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status... |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.443 | 6 |
| 2 |  Barbados |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1.433 | 4 |
| 3 |  Northern Ireland Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland national cricket team The Northern Ireland national cricket team has represented Northern Ireland in international cricket competition once, in the 1998 Commonwealth Games.-History:... |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | −0.943 | 2 |
| 4 |  BangladeshBangladeshi cricket team The Bangladesh national cricket team is a national cricket team representing Bangladesh. The team is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board . Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status... |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | −1.649 | 0 |
| Group D | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | NR | RR Run rate In cricket, the run rate , or runs per over is the number of runs a batsman scores in an over of 6 balls. It includes all runs, even the so-called extras awarded due to errors by the bowler. Without extras and overthrows, the maximum run rate is 36 – if every ball were struck for six and, as... |
Pts |
| 1 |  New ZealandNew Zealand cricket team The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the... |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.799 | 6 |
| 2 |  PakistanPakistani cricket team The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches.... |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.480 | 3 |
| 3 |  KenyaKenyan cricket team The Kenya national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Kenya in international cricket matches. They are considered one of the strongest of the associate member nations of the International Cricket Council, especially since reaching the semi-final of the 2003 Cricket World Cup... |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | −0.697 | 2 |
| 4 |  ScotlandScottish cricket team The Scotland national cricket team represents Scotland in the game of cricket. They compete in the Clydesdale Bank 40 as the Scottish Saltires... |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | −2.401 | 1 |
South Africa v Sri Lanka
A low-scoring game produced a thrilling climax. Gunawardene's 53 held the Sri Lankan innings together after they had been put in to bat by the South Africans, but BojeNicky Boje
Nico "Nicky" Boje is a South African cricketer who played in 43 Tests and 115 One Day Internationals for South Africa, and attended Grey College in Bloemfontein...
's 4-16 kept the Sri Lankans' score down to a distinctly unimpressive 130 as they were bowled out in 44 overs. In reply, South Africa lost wickets at regular intervals, with the highest score being opener Rindel's 25. At 96/9 all looked lost, but then Boje (20*) and Dawson (15*) compiled an unbroken stand of 35 for the last wicket to lead their team to 131/9 and a one-wicket victory.
Australia v New Zealand
A totally one-sided trans-TasmanTasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
clash saw New Zealand collapse to a feeble 58 all out after being sent in, with only captain Fleming reaching 20. Australian slow left-armer Brad Young took a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
to finish with an exceptional analysis
Bowling analysis
In the sport of cricket, a bowling analysis usually refers to a notation summarising a bowler's performance in terms of overs bowled, how many of those overs are maidens , total runs conceded and number of wickets taken...
of 4-2-4-4. In reply, the Australians rattled along at nearly six an over, losing only Mark Waugh
Mark Waugh
Mark Edward Waugh AM is a former Australian cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, and made his One-Day International debut in 1988. Waugh is regarded as one of the most elegant and gifted stroke makers to ever play the game. His nickname is "Junior" as...
as they raced to 62/1 in 10.5 overs with Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
smashing three sixes as he hit 42 from 36 balls.
New Zealand v Sri Lanka
New Zealand recovered from the trauma of their semi-final thrashing to beat Sri Lanka by 51 runs. 56* from Harris and 56 from Astle were the main elements of a final total of 212/7 that included three run-outs. The Sri Lankans struggled to 77/7 in their innings, and though they added 53 for the eighth wicket thanks to PereraSuresh Perera
Suresh Perera is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler....
's 45, it was never likely to be enough and they were bowled out for 161.
Australia v South Africa
Put in by South Africa, the Australians were indebted to Steve Waugh's unbeaten 90 as they recovered from 58/4 to post a still below-par 183 all out. PollockShaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
was the chief destroyer for South Africa, with 4-19 from nine tight overs to remove Mark Waugh
Mark Waugh
Mark Edward Waugh AM is a former Australian cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, and made his One-Day International debut in 1988. Waugh is regarded as one of the most elegant and gifted stroke makers to ever play the game. His nickname is "Junior" as...
, Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
, Gilchrist and Lehmann
Darren Lehmann
Darren Scott Lehmann is a former Australian cricketer, who made his ODI debut in 1996 and Test debut in 1998. He was on the fringes of national selection for the entirety of the 1990s, and only became a regular in the ODI team in 2001 and Test team in late 2002, before being dropped in early 2005...
. South Africa got off to a good start in their reply with an opening partnership of 73 between Rindel (67) and Hudson
Andrew Hudson
Andrew Charles Hudson was a South African Test and ODI cricketer. The right-handed batsman played 35 Tests and 89 One Day Internationals for South Africa in the 1990s. His career spanned 16 consecutive summers, playing for both his country and his province KwaZulu-Natal...
(36). A burst of wickets from Lehmann (3-14) saw the South Africans wobble as they fell from 158/2 to 183/6, but it was too late for Australia and Kallis
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both...
' watchful 44 from 96 balls saw South Africa through to 184/6 and the gold medal.
Legacy
The tournament was not considered a success, and cricket was missing from the 2002 games2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and the 2006 games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. It had been hoped that a Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
tournament could be included at the 2010 games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, but the BCCI
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered at Mumbai, is the national governing body for all cricket in India. It's not the apex governing body in India. The board was formed in December 1928 as BCCI replaced Calcutta Cricket Club. BCCI is a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu...
was not keen on a Twenty20 tournament. Now with the immense success of IPL
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
the board is seriously considering a T-20 tournament in the Commonwealth games http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/234191.html The president of the Commonwealth Games federation wants to bring cricket back into the games, and the Glasgow bid for the 2014 games
2014 Commonwealth Games
The 20th Commonwealth Games in 2014 will be held in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The winning city was announced by the Commonwealth Games Federation on 9 November 2007 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Games will run over 11 days of competition from 24 July to 3 August 2014...
has indicated that they would include cricket. http://content.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/240675.html Former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
and various others including Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
, Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara is a Sri Lankan, Sinhalese cricketer and the former captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team. He is a left-handed top-order batsman...
, Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is a former Indian cricketer, and captain of the Indian national team. Born into an affluent family, Ganguly was introduced into the world of cricket by his elder brother Snehasish. He is regarded as one of India's most successful captains in modern times. He started his...
and Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming
Stephen Paul Fleming ONZM is a New Zealand cricketer, and the former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, in Test and one-day cricket...
are also pushing for inclusion of the Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
format in the 2020 Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
as a bid to help globalise cricket http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/current/story/363699.html.