Tony Munro

Argentina A has won the eighth South American Championships (SAC) after an emphatic seven-wicket win over hosts, Brazil in Sao Paulo yesterday.

Brazil batted first and were skittled for 65, thanks to Sergio Ciaburri's 3 for 6 from four overs and Alejo Tissera who took 3-13. Tissera – who was Man of the Match - remained unbeaten on 19 to guide Argentina 'A' to their target in the 16th over.

The win allowed Argentina A to reclaim the championship, after losing the last two tournaments to the Miami Masters, who did not play this time.

Two games were possible yesterday, with the Twenty20 format being used for the first time in the competition’s history.

In the other game, Chile earned second place with a 43-run win over Peru. Chile made a challenging 175 for 7 from their 20 overs, largely due to a 91-run stand for the third wicket shared between captain Guy Hooper (66) and Prateek Dahiya (53).

Continue reading "Argentina A win South American Championships"

Brazil has kept alive its chances of winning the South American Championships on home turf by defeating Peru by 10 wickets in Sao Paulo on Saturday. It must now beat Argentina 'A' tomorrow in the Twenty20 format to celebrate hosting the tournament for the first time, by winning the trophy. In the other match tomorrow, also played to Twenty20 rules, Chile meets Peru.

Winning the toss and choosing to field, the Brazilian bowling attack limited the Peruvians to 140. Captain Harry Hildebrand top-scored with 37, while Nick Appleyard (21) and Kashyap Nansi (15) made useful contributions, as did extras.

The pick of the Brazilian bowlers was Sunny Randolph (4/31), but as a unit, the Brazilian attack restricted the scoring very well.

So with a target of 3.5 per over, the openers for Brazil started steadily and finished the job strongly in the 31st over. Greigor Caisley played some great shots on his way to 77 not out, while Matt French supported him perfectly to make a confident 42 not out.

Continue reading "Brazil closer to hosting Championship"

Chile 103 for 6 (Walker 42) beat Brazil 102 (Islam 17, French 17, Bradbrook 3-19) by four wickets

The 8th South American Championships commenced on Thursday at the Sao Paulo Athletic Club in Brazil, with the first-time South American Championship hosts taking on Chile. Brazil won the toss and chose to bat on a warm, sunny morning.

After losing opener Travers McNaught in the second over, Brazil lost wickets regularly and were unable to build any significant partnerships. Middle-order batsmen Rubab Islam and Matt French both top scored with 17, with Islam hitting three fours and French one four and a six. Overall, it was a very rusty batting performance as the innings ended at 102 in the 32nd over.

The disciplined Chilean attack was led by Tristan Bradbrook (3 for 19) and well-supported by a solid fielding display.

Chile set about the job of scoring around 2.5 runs an over in a steady fashion. They went to lunch at 20 for 1 from ten overs. After the break, opener Ian Walker (42) played a key role in guiding Chile to a comfortable win. There was a bit of a wobble towards the end, but Brazil simply didn't score enough runs. Chile reached the target the 36th over with four wickets to spare. Walker was named the Man of the Match after batting for the bulk of the innings on a difficult pitch.

Tony Munro

Home team Brazil will play Chile in the opening game of the eighth South American Championships in Sao Paulo on April 8.

This year's tournament is significant for two reasons - it is being held in Brazil for the first time and the four-team event will be a warm-up for the World Cricket League Division Three tournament later this year.

Also, no 'festival' teams have been included, perhaps as a result of disquiet shown by the ICC Americas office after an 'Ecuador XI' played at the last tournament in Lima in April, 2007. Cricket has never been played in Ecuador and only one player in the squad lived in the country.

Two-time champions, the Miami Masters, which has competed in the SAC under the banner, Guyana Masters, will not be defending their title.

Another first is the introduction of the Twenty20 format to the event, with the two matches being played on April 12.

Brazil is likely to celebrate home-ground advantage by fielding four home-grown players. And fittingly the tournament will be played at the Sao Paulo Athletic Club. "It was at this club that Charles Miller introduced cricket, rugby and soccer to Sao Paulo in the 1880s," Associacao Brasileira de Cricket official, Norm Baldwin, told Cricinfo. The clubhouse hosts the Brazilian cricket museum.

Meanwhile, an under-13 team from Chile may be joined by another from Argentina in playing Brazil in Curitiba, Brazil in July. And the Brazilian women's team will be able to use the experience gained in a recent international against the Argentine women's team in when plays in a regional tournament in Florida in May.

The draw for the eighth South American Championships is:
April 8; Brazil v Chile; April 9 - Argentina 'A' v Peru; April 10 - Argentina 'A' v Chile; April 11 - Brazil v Peru; April 12 (both Twenty/20) - Chile v Peru, Brazil v Argentina 'A'.

Argentina fielded a full-strength team in the first two events, but has provided its 'A' team since then to allow a more even tournament.