Cricket Headlines:
July 1997

Thursday, 31 July 1997

• Sidhu scores a century as India draw their three-day match against the Sri Lanka Board President's XI.
• Mahela Jayawardena the new face in Sri Lanka's team for Saturday's First Test.
• John Crawley and Martin Bicknell win the monthly batting and bowling awards respectively in the Whyte & Mackay Rankings. Mark Ramprakash and Mike Smith are the overall leaders on each list.

Wednesday, 30 July 1997

• Newspaper reports from England that a spectator at last week's Fourth Test at Headingley is threatening legal action for being ejected from the ground while dressed a carrot. In another incident during the match, a spectator was knocked unconscious by ground officials when he intruded onto the field an stumps on the first day. He was dressed as the back half of a pantomime cow at the time. His companion in the front half was not injured.

Tuesday, 29 July 1997

• Press reports from Trinidad that Brian Lara was chosen by the WI selectors to be captain for the Pakistan and Sharjah tours, but were over-ruled by the West Indian Cricket Board.
• Sussex, Glamorgan, Warwickshire and Essex the victorious NatWest quarter finalists. Sussex defeat Derbyshire - their 329 the highest winning second-innings score in the sixty-over competition, Rakesh Rao (158 from 165 balls) the highest one-day score by a Sussexian.
• Pakistan A defeat Hampshire in a limited-over fixture at Southampton.

Monday, 28 July 1997

• Australia win the Fourth Test by an innings and take a 2-1 lead in the Ashes.

Sunday, 27 July 1997

• Matthew Elliott dismissed for 199, the highlight of the Fourth Day of the Fourth Test.
• Changes to the Indian squad as the tour of Sri Lanka continues.
• Pakistan A draw their match with Sussex.

Saturday, 26 July 1997

• Clinical display by Sri Lanka makes them the Asia Cup Champions by trouncing India.
• Century to Ricky Ponting on Day Three of the Fourth Test for the Ashes. He completes a fifth-wicket stand of 268 with Matthew Elliott, who remains on 164 not out as rain ends play at lunchtime.
• Graham Gooch's final day of first-class cricket for Essex against Worcestershire. For the opposing side, Graeme Hick scores his 94th first-class hundred.
• Rain turns five County Championship fixtures into draws, Saturday's only result being Gloucestershire's innings victory over Durham.
• Courtney Walsh is re-appointed West Indies captain for the tours of Pakistan and Sharjah in November and December.

Friday, 25 July 1997

• The Ashes, Fourth Test Day Two: Jason Gillespie takes the best innings bowling figures by an Australian at Headingley, 7-37. Matthew Elliott scores an unbeaten century.
• Ramprakash and Strang star in a Middlesex - Kent County Championship thriller, won by Kent by four runs.
• Chris Tolley takes a hat-trick for Nottinghamshire against Leicestershire.

Thursday, 24 July 1997

• India defeat Bangladesh in the Asia Cup with 28 overs to spare, and qualify for the final ahead of Pakistan on net run rate.
• Nearly four hours play lost on the opening day of the Fourth Test between England and Australia at Headingley. England 106 for 3 at stumps after being sent into bat. Australian officials lodge a complaint about the circumstances surrounding the change of pitch at Headingley before the start of the Test.

Wednesday, 23 July 1997

• Sunday League on Wednesday night as Warwickshire defeat Somerset under lights at Edgbaston in the first day/night competition match between counties.
• Australia win the gold medal for cricket in the Maccabiah Games in Israel - South Africa silver, Israel bronze.

Tuesday, 22 July 1997

• Jayasuriya blasts Sri Lanka to victory over Bangladesh in the Asia Cup.
• Pakistan A defeat Gloucestershire in a limited-over fixture.

Monday, 21 July 1997

• The India v Pakistan tie in the Asia Cup is abandoned after bad weather makes a restart impossible. Both teams share one point each.
• Pakistan A defeat Somerset by five wickets.
• Australia's tour match against Middlesex is drawn.
• Lancashire defeat Yorkshire in the four-quarter day-night match at Old Trafford. This was the first day-night match played on a first-class county ground in England, and the first limited-over match played in England over four quarters.
• Press reports that Sri Lankan national coach Bruce Yardley has lost the sight in his left eye and has had an operation in Australia. He will be unavailable to fulfill his coaching duties for Sri Lanka for at least two more months.

• The India v Pakistan clash in Asia Cup is abandoned due to bad light and rain, after Prasad reduces Pakistan to 30 for 5. The match is rescheduled to restart on Monday.
• Sunday League: Alastair Brown smashes a tournament record 203 for Surrey against Hampshire. This is also believed to be a world record for a major forty-over limited-overs match. Essex and Lancashire (32 pts each) share the lead on the Sunday League table.
• Graham Gooch announces that he intends to retire from first-class cricket after this week's County Championship match against Worcestershire.
• Former West Indian Test player Clifford McWatt dies aged 75 in Ottawa, Canada from injures received in a motor accident in June.

Saturday, 19 July 1997

• Ramprakash and Gatting give Australia some headaches on Day One of the Middlesex encounter.
• Pakistan A have the upper hand after Day One against Somerset.
• County Championship: Lancashire beat Sussex by an innings to win their first championship match at Old Trafford for two years. Northamptonshire beat Essex by 15 runs. An undefeated partnership of 223 by Neil Johnson and Ben Smith sees Leicestershire to a six wicket victory over Kent. Glamorgan (139) head Essex (128) and Gloucestershire (125) at the top of the table.
• Imran Khan's millionaire father-in-law, Sir James Goldsmith, dies aged 64.

Friday, 18 July 1997

• Ranatunga 131 not out as Sri Lanka defeat India in Game Three of the Asia Cup.
• Australia plays out a draw with Glamorgan, and Steve James becomes the first player to score 1000 first-class runs this season.
• Pakistan A's tour match with Worcestershire is drawn as Graeme Hick completes his 93rd first-class hundred.
• County Championship: Innings victories inside three days to Yorkshire over Durham, and Gloucestershire over Derbyshire.
• Warwickshire Second XI defeat Somerset Second XI by six runs. Somerset, requiring 612 for victory, are dismissed for 605. Marcus Trescothick scores 322 for Somerset Second XI. Both Somerset's total and Trescothick's innings are records for the Second XI Championship.
• English county scorers threaten strike action.

Thursday, 17 July 1997

• Shaun Young scores 237 for Gloucestershire against Derbyshire in the County Championship.
• Saleem Elahi scores 229 for Pakistan A against Worcestershire. Incredibly, this is only his first first-class century.
• A batting collapse by Australia in their second innings against Glamorgan.

Wednesday, 16 July 1997

• Pakistan easy winners over Bangladesh in Game Two of the Asia Cup.
• Dipak Patel retires from all levels of cricket.
• Neil Franks takes a hat-trick for Nottinghamshire against Warwickshire. At 18 years of age he is the youngest Notts player to do so.
• Ricky Ponting scores an unbeaten 126 on the opening day of the Australian tour match against Glamorgan.
• Five wickets to Ali Hussain Rizvi on the opening day of Pakistan A's tour match against Worcestershire.
• Sanjeeva Ranatunga marries Elita, the sister of Marvan Atapattu.

Tuesday, 15 July 1997

• Former Australian international Merv Hughes is signed to play for the Canberra Comets in their debut season in the Mercantile Mutual Cup. Hughes will continue to play grade cricket in Melbourne when not required for the Canberra team.

Monday, 14 July 1997

• Sri Lanka win the Asia Cup opener against Pakistan.
• The ICC approves the use of floodlights during bad light in Test matches.
• Australia play a little-publicised one-day match against an invitation eleven organised by millionaire and Wisden owner J.Paul Getty, played on his private estate in front of invited guests without the presence of the media. The match is drawn.

Sunday, 13 July 1997

• An embarrassing situation for Asia Cup organisers in Colombo as Mohinder Amarnath and John Reid both arrive to take up duty as tournament referee.
• Pakistan "A" defeat a scratch ECB XI by ten wickets in a one-day game.
• Warwickshire, Essex, Kent and Lancashire all share the lead on 28 pts after Week Twelve of the Sunday League.

Saturday, 12 July 1997

• Ben Hollioake the star of Surrey's Benson & Hedges Cup Final win. Surrey's first B&H Cup since 1974.
• Michael Slater makes a quick 95 before an Australia - Scotland washout. Extras (46) are by far the highest score in Scotland's total.
• Sri Lanka to go into this week's Asia Cup without coach Bruce Yardley, who has returned to Australia for urgent treatment for an eye condition.

Friday, 11 July 1997

• The nine Test captains meet in a conference convened by the ICC at Lord's.
• The MCC defeat Pakistan A by ten wickets.

Thursday, 10 July 1997

• Keith Arthurton makes a career-best 200 not out MCC's game against Pakistan A.
• NatWest Trophy quarter-final draw announced.
• Sri Lanka Cricket President's XI defeat Bangladesh by 33 runs in an Asia Cup warm-up match.

Wednesday, 9 July 1997

• Tendulkar is reported as criticising the Indian selectors' choice of Asia Cup squad, calling it "B-Grade".
• NatWest Trophy Round Two Highlights:
  • Devon Malcolm takes 7 for 35 for Derbyshire in their win over Northamptonshire;
  • Essex beat Worcestershire despite 146 from Graeme Hick;
  • Glamorgan overhaul Hampshire's score of 302;
  • Other winners: Yorkshire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Sussex, Warwickshire.

Tuesday, 8 July 1997

• England selectors make an early announcement of the Fourth Test squad.
• A Brendon Julian century as Australia defeat the Minor Counties.
• Steve Waugh and Glenn McGrath number one in the latest Coopers & Lybrand ratings.

Monday, 7 July 1997

• Australia win the Third Test and square the Ashes series 1-1.
• Azharuddin in, Kambli and Mongia out of India's Asia Cup squad.
• Darren Berry called into the Australian touring party to replace the injured Adam Gilchrist who is out for the remainder of the tour with a knee injury.

Sunday, 6 July 1997

• Steve Waugh's second century of the match in Day Four of the Third Test.
• Hasan Raza scores 96 on the second day of Pakistan A's tour match against Derbyshire.
• Sunday League Week Eleven highlights include ties between Yorkshire and Leicestershire, and between Middlesex and Lancashire. Craig White (148 from 114 balls) makes the highest Sunday League score in Yorkshire's history.
• Essex lead the Sunday League table from Kent and Lancashire (all 28 pts) on run-rate.

Saturday, 5 July 1997

• Reports in Indian newspapers of collusion between Indian underworld figures and four members of the national team to fix a one-day match between India and New Zealand in 1995.
• First innings lead to Australia on the third day of the Third Test.
• Victories to Glamorgan, Lancashire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire in the County Championship.
• Aamir Sohail recalled to Pakistan's Asia Cup squad.
• Shane Warne becomes the most successful leg-spin bowler in Test history with 249 career wickets.
• John Woodcock's 100 Greatest Cricketers of All Time, published in The Times as part of a series on "Top 100's" in many facets of life, arouses controversy.

Friday, 4 July 1997

• Shane Warne stars on Day Two of the Third Test for The Ashes.
• Pakistan "A" draw their opening tour match against Nottinghamshire.
• Somerset defeat Essex by ten wickets in the County Championship.
• Sussex lose to Worcestershire by an innings after making 71 in their first innings.
• Allan Donald takes match figures of 10 for 119 for Warwickshire against Surrey.
• Hugh Morris completes 173 for Glamorgan against Gloucestershire.
• Oxford University and Cambridge University play a draw.

Thursday, 3 July 1997

• A century to Steve Waugh on Day One of the Third Test for The Ashes.
• Dean Headley follows in his father Ron and grandfather George's footsteps as a Test player.
• Sri Lanka name their fourteen-man squad for the Asia Cup.
• Pakistan "A" in trouble after Day Two of their tour match against Nottinghamshire.

Wednesday, 2 July 1997

• Opening day of the Pakistan "A" tour of England.
• Former West Indian Test batsman J.K.Holt dies aged 73.
• England discard Peter Martin takes 8 for 32 for Lancashire.
• Reports from Melbourne that the Victorian Cricket Association is considering relocating international cricket from the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1999 to the Docklands football stadium, currently under construction.

Tuesday, 1 July 1997

• Jason Gillespie replaces Michael Kasprowicz in Australia's Third Test team. Phil Tufnell is cut from the England Test squad for the third Test running.
• Newspaper reports in Sydney that Chaminda Vaas spent two weeks in Sydney during June receiving treatment for a stress fracture in the upper back.