ACS Overseas First-Class Annual 2009

Matches in 2008 There were 196 first-class matches designated as belonging to the 2008 season. Scores of the 172 matches played in England and Wales will be found in the 2009 edition of Wisden , which was published in April 2009 and is widely available. This section contains the 24 matches not played in England and Wales. Test matches (and an accompanying first-class match) are listed first. The rest of the section consists of 17 matches played as part of the ICC Inter-Continental Cup. The Tests include a three-match series between West Indies and Australia, which was preceded by a first-class tour match in Jamaica. Australia won the Test series by two matches to nil, convincingly enough in the end despite a severe fright when they were memorably reduced to 18 for five in the second innings of the First Test. The section also includes a three-Test series between Sri Lanka and India, in which Sri Lanka’s two-one victory was largely attributable to the remarkable 26 wickets of the debutant spinner, Ajantha Mendis. All the remaining matches in this section were played in the ICC Inter-Continental Cup. This competition, which took place over the years 2007 and 2008, is a global first-class tournament for the leading non-Test nations. Eight ICC Associate Members took part, playing seven matches each in a round-robin league. Note that of the 28 matches scheduled in the league stage, 11 were played in 2007 and are therefore not included in this Annual. The 16 league matches played in 2008 are all included in this section, and the remaining league match was abandoned as noted below. The league stage was keenly contested, Namibia eventually heading Ireland by only two points, with Kenya in third place only another ten points behind. Namibia and Ireland, as the top two teams, then contested a final in South Africa. This match, also included here, was won by Ireland. Inter-Continental Cup 2007 and 2008: Final table P W WLF L LWF DWF DLF ND A Adj Pts NetRpW 20 14 0 6 6 0 0 10 1 Namibia 7 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 108 4.6665 2 Ireland 7 4 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 6 106 28.3484 3 Kenya 7 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 96 2.2799 4 Scotland 7 3 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 6 82 6.6251 5 Netherlands 7 1 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 48 -7.0902 6 Canada 7 1 0 4 1 0 0 1 0 3 29 -6.8872 7 United Arab Emirates 7 0 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 3 29 -6.5931 8 Bermuda 7 1 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 26 -10.1386 FINAL: IRELAND beat NAMIBIA by nine wickets. Abandoned Match Scotland v Kenya, Titwood, Glasgow, August 7, 8, 9, 10, 2008 Abandoned, owing to bad weather, without a ball bowled. 15