Pakistan spin England into debacle
The end was swift. Pakistan secured a first-innings lead of 146 by lunch before dismissing England for the second time in 57.5 overs, needing only 15 for victory. Umar Gul's new-ball incursions eventually brought him four wickets and Saeed Ajmal finished with 10 for 97 in the match.
Everywhere you looked there was English angst: the continuation of Andrew Strauss' desperate batting form, the abject folly of Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell's appointment as Ajmal's bunny as he succumbed to his doosra in no time for the second successive innings.
Only in the closing overs of their bowling triumph did Pakistan's players show the excitable tendencies more associated with their cricket and when they did, the seasoned captain who has restored discipline, Misbah-ul-Haq, restored order with the stony expression of a Russian president surveying the march past of the troops from a wintry Moscow balcony.
England's mediocre record in Asia is well documented and they face a formidable task to regroup for the final two Tests of the series. There was much talk of how conditions in Dubai were tipped too heavily in favour of the batsmen. England have certainly disproved that one. This proved itself to be an excellent Test surface and Pakistan outplayed England from the outset.
Andrew Strauss came as close as he has to dissent during his imperturbable reign as England captain at his dismissal shortly before lunch. He was given out caught down the legside against Gul, a decision by umpire Billy Bowden that was upheld by the DRS. He walked from the outfield with a regal shake of the head. Actually, he allowed himself several regal shakes of the head. For a conservative sort like Strauss that was akin to rebellion.
There was definitely a woody sound as the ball curled past Strauss' bat and there was a brief delay before he called for the third umpire, although that was probably not as much a clue to guilt as proof of Strauss' determination that England should gather their thoughts before using the review system. Hotspot revealed nothing - but then Hotspot is not infallible. The third umpire, Steve Davis, as the guidelines state, saw "no conclusive evidence" to allow him to overturn Bowden's decision and he had no option but to follow such a course.
Pietersen was suckered. He has always been a liability on nought, a batsman on heat, desperate for his first run. Here it is, invited Gul, banging in a short ball. Here you are, responded Pietersen, hooking it to Abdur Rehman at deep backward square. The eerie calm of an empty stadium might undermine Pietersen more than most because he has an ego that feeds off big crowds. Somebody suggested on Twitter that they should tell him that all the spectators have come painted as empty seats.
Ajmal could not be kept out of the picture for long. He bowled Bell first ball in the first innings and he was soon bamboozled a second time, so disorientated by his failure that he wasted a review in confirming the inevitable.
Trott stood firm for nearly two hours for 49 but even his dismissal was disappointing as his carved at a wide one to gave Gul his fourth wicket. All that remained was for Pakistan's spinners to terrorise the lower order. Abdur Rehman was on a hat-trick after Stuart Broad holed out in the deep and Chris Tremlett's golden duck, caught at slip to complete a poor game. Rehman almost got it too, as James Anderson allowed a ball to slip by, perilously close to off-stump
Fittingly, though, the final moment, in the field at least, rested with Ajmal, smiling broadly as he lured Swann into error. He left brandishing the match ball towards the smattering of spectators in what has felt like a made-for-TV Test. Dubai's newspapers had promised a bigger crowd on Saturday. There won't be now.
England had conceded another 50 runs on the third morning in removing Pakistan's last three batsmen. Adnan Akmal, one of seven brothers, three of whom have played Test cricket, chanced his arm to carry the game out of reach, advancing his overnight 24 not out to 61 before he was last out, stumped by three yards against Graeme Swann as he sought a single to farm the strike. If Mrs Akmal had managed to provide a full team, the Akmals would have constituted the most unpredictable side in the world, half cricket team, half circus troupe.
Saeed Ajmal, even more than Strauss, had reason to rue his misfortune as Hotspot, as it tends to do, seemed to be taking a day off. "Nobody claims the DRS is perfect," Haroon Lorgat, the ICC's chief executive, had reminded everybody in Dubai the previous day. DRS, according to Lorgat, had improved decision making to 99% accuracy. Ajmal got the 1% as the third umpire Steve Davis this time put small print ahead of commonsense.
Billy Bowden, on the field, adjudged Swann had dismissed Ajmal at short leg, the batsman called for a review, and TV replays showed no flick of the glove as the ball deflected off the pad to Alastair Cook at short leg. According to Sky TV, Davis then told Bowden that because Hotspot was obscured he had "no conclusive evidence" to overrule his decision.
Long before the end, Pakistan had forgotten that. They had destroyed an England side which has had few peers over the past couple of years. The series is alight.
South Africa v Sri Lanka, 4th ODI, Kimberley
Sri Lanka and Smith under pressure
It's that time of the series, when you wish there was a mercy rule. South Africa have already ensured their trophy cabinet will have an addition, and Sri Lanka are empty handed in a fourth consecutive series since the 2011 World Cup.
After losing the World Cup final, Sri Lanka have endured a miserable nine months on the field, although they are talented and hard-working side. Despite spending nearly eight weeks in South Africa, their batsmen have not got used to the conditions or the opposition. Their bowlers have lacked the killer instinct possessed by the merciless South African attack, and the area of their game that needs the most improvement is the fielding, where the lack of energy has been alarming.
That said, Sri Lanka have improved in every ODI and will feel it's about time they were good enough. The sports ministry has asked for an inquiry into their poor performances and Tillakaratne Dilshan will have to motivate his players to put in two good showings before they head home to face the music.
With the prize already won, South Africa will want to show they can maintain their intensity. The next two matches offer them a chance to test new combinations and give the reserves a run.
Form guide
South Africa WWWLW Sri Lanka LLLLL
Watch out for …
Graeme Smith probably has two more innings to save his one-day career. With Alviro Petersen showing signs that he can take his Test form into the fifty-over format, and Hashim Amla set to return from paternity leave at the end of the series, the axe is hovering over Smith. He has shown a lack of confidence at the crease and has not been able to get going. He needs to soon to prolong his limited-overs career.
At 24, Angelo Mathews appears to have an inordinate amount of responsibility. Not only is he Sri Lanka's vice-captain but he also has to play the role of leading allrounder. He hasn't starred in either role so far. What is evident is that he has the ability to, and has two more opportunities to show South Africa his skills.
Team news …
South Africa are spoilt for choice, particularly in the bowling department. Dale Steyn will be rested for the remaining matches and Wayne Parnell will play. Vernon Philander may get the nod ahead of Morne Morkel, but Johan Botha is unlikely to replace Robin Peterson. The batting line-up will remain the same, with the No. 4 position flexible.
South Africa: (probable) 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 AB de Villiers (capt & wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Robin Petersen, 9 Wayne Parnell, 10 Morne Morkel/Vernon Philander, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
Mahela Jayawardene has been ruled out for the next few weeks with a back injury. Lahiru Thirimanne will play in his place, although his position in the line-up has not been decided. Sachithra Senanayake has arrived in South Africa and trained with the team, but Sri Lanka are yet to decide if two spinners is a viable option at this venue.
Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Lahiru Thirimanne, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Dhammika Prasad
Pitch and conditions
Although the ground staff left some grass on the Kimberley pitch, the sun will probably bake it into a flat wicket by match time. Temperatures are hotter than in Bloemfontein and both sides can expect to sweat.
Stats and trivia
South Africa have won five out of five matches in Kimberley and they chased in all of them. In their only game against Sri Lanka here, in 2002, South Africa won by 8 wickets.
In ten matches at this venue, the fast bowlers have taken 99 wickets at 30.56, while spinners have only 17 wickets at 58.11.
Quotes
"The training has been fantastic but sometimes there is more value in not training. There is no exact science. We feel there is a bit of fatigue in the dressing room."
Gary Kirsten explains why South Africa have had some down time over the last two days.
"When you are playing against a team like South Africa, who are playing really good cricket, it's difficult for us to get on top."
Sri Lanka are struggling to match their opposition, according to Mahela Jayawardene.
Australia v India, 2nd Test, Sydney, 3rd day
India facing ordeal after Clarke's triple-century
India 191 and 2 for 114 (Gambhir 68*, Tendulkar 8*) trail Australia 4 for 659 dec (Clarke 329*, Hussey 150*, Ponting 134, Zaheer 3-122) by 354 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Analysis : Michael Clarke erects a monument
Players/Officials: Michael Clarke | Michael Hussey
Matches: Australia v India at Sydney
Series/Tournaments: India tour of Australia
Teams: Australia | India
Matthew Hayden, Mark Taylor, Don Bradman, Michael Clarke. That is the list of the men with the highest Test scores for Australia after a day on which Clarke not only wrote himself into the record books but also declared early enough to give his side a strong chance to push for victory over India. Clarke ended Australia's innings with his own score on 329, choosing neither to seek the glory of chasing down Brian Lara's world-record 400, nor even Taylor's iconic 334, the best score by an Australian Test captain.
Instead, he chose drinks in the middle session - the halfway point of the game - to declare Australia's innings closed at 4 for 659. His partner, Michael Hussey, had just reached 150. His thinking as he and Hussey walked off to a standing ovation from the SCG crowd was clear: on a good pitch, Australia would need time to bowl India out, especially with the chance of rain on the fourth day. Personal milestones meant nothing. The team goal was all that mattered.
By the close of play, Australia had two of the ten wickets they wanted. Virender Sehwag had gone in the fourth over of the innings. He flashed hard at a wide ball from Ben Hilfenhaus and was brilliantly snapped up at point by David Warner, whose split-second leap up and to his left allowed him to clasp his hands around the ball and remove India's quickest scorer for 4.
Hilfenhaus also accounted for Rahul Dravid, who was bowled for the third time in the series. On 29, Dravid moved his front foot across in line with off stump but left enough of a gap for the bowler to nip a ball in between bat and pad. The Wall is in desperate need of some mortar, but don't expect the former bricklayer Hilfenhaus to supply it.
At stumps, India were 2 for 114, still trailing by 354, and the Australians needed to find a way through the defences of Sachin Tendulkar, who was on 8. Unexpectedly, given his struggles in the first three innings of the series, it was Gautam Gambhir who was giving them the most trouble. He had reached 68 and was playing positively, having struck nine boundaries.
Already he had his highest Test score in more than a year. However, Gambhir had been given a life on 66 when James Pattinson found his outside edge in the dying stages of the day. Brad Haddin dived to his left and for the second time in the series moved too far; the ball sailed between his arms while his gloves kept moving further towards first slip.
The Australians knew it could be a costly let-off, for runs had flowed easily for Clarke and Hussey on the third day. In three hours of cricket, they added 177 for the loss of no wickets. In fact, from 4.43pm on the opening day of the match until 2.10pm on the third day, Australia had put on 622 runs for the loss of just one wicket, that of Ricky Ponting, who fell for 134 midway through the second afternoon.
And while Hussey finished with 150 not out, the third day was all about Clarke. He not only became the sixth man to score a Test triple-century for Australia, his innings was also the best by an Australian captain in a home Test, surpassing Bradman's 270 at the MCG in 1937. It also broke Tip Foster's 108-year-old record for the highest score in an SCG Test; his 287 on debut was passed when Clarke drove a boundary through extra cover.
That was a record that could not be overstated, especially in the SCG's 100th Test. Over the years, 3747 times batsmen have walked out on to the Sydney Cricket Ground to commence a Test innings. In all of those performances, nobody has ever scored as many as Clarke did over the past three days. He went to lunch on 293, and it took barely ten minutes after the break for his triple-century to arrive.
It came with a flick off his pads for a boundary off Ishant Sharma, an appropriate shot for Clarke had punished anything on his legs throughout the innings. In truth, there was hardly a region of the ground in which Clarke didn't score freely: he drove through off and down the ground, cut, pulled and glanced with ease. He was slow out of the blocks on the third morning, ensuring he got himself set again, but never did his innings stagnate.
He was helped by the presence of Hussey, who became the third centurion in Australia's innings. In a 334-run partnership with Clarke, Hussey kept the scoreboard ticking over at a reasonable rate. He brought up his 16th Test hundred with a single tickled towards third man off Sehwag's offspin shortly before lunch, and he pumped his fists with delight.
Although it was Hussey's fifth Test century since the start of the Ashes last summer, he had also fallen for three golden ducks during his past nine innings. At no did India seriously look like breaking the partnership, although R Ashwin bowled an impressive, searching spell in the opening session.
The action in the middle became so predictable that in the ABC radio commentary box Harsha Bhogle and Kerry O'Keeffe entertained listeners by challenging each other to eat the world's hottest chilli. Meanwhile, in the Channel Nine box, Ian Healy quizzed Bill Lawry on pigeon diseases.
But all eyes were fixed on Clarke as he reached his triple-century, and when he declared less than an hour later. It was a captain's innings in every way, just as he delivered in Cape Town against South Africa in November. Australia lost that Test. Clarke made sure they won't lose this one.
South Africa v Sri Lanka, 3rd Test, Cape Town, 2nd day
South Africa well placed after batsmen's day
Stumps Sri Lanka 149 for 2 (Sangakkara 35*, Jayawardene 7*) trail South Africa 580 for 4 (Kallis 224, de Villiers 160*, Petersen 109) by 431 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Players/Officials: AB de Villiers | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Jacques Kallis
Matches: South Africa v Sri Lanka at Cape Town
Series/Tournaments: Sri Lanka tour of South Africa
Teams: South Africa | Sri Lanka
There was a sense of déjà vu as the action unfolded on the second day at Newlands, before Graeme Smith ended Sri Lanka's agony with an aggressive declaration that came 30 minutes before tea. Jacques Kallis was balletic in the morning, and AB de Villiers ballistic after lunch to leave Sri Lanka facing for a nightmarish day, reminiscent of the one India had endured a few hours earlier in a different continent. However, Smith's move provided respite, as he gambled for more time at the cost of some cheap runs. Sri Lanka then produced fireworks of their own, in equal parts vindicating and undermining the declaration.
Until then, it was a day for relentless pursuit of batting milestones. Like Michael Clarke in Sydney, Kallis strolled inevitably to a double-century in front of his home crowd. Like in Centurion in 2010, he had de Villiers for company when he got to the landmark. Back then, de Villiers had smashed the fastest century by a South African. This time he was more sedate in reaching 100, but unleashed mayhem thereafter, scoring his last 60 runs off only 29 balls. South Africa plundered 87 off the last 10 overs of their innings, with Jacques Rudolph also chiming in with a half-century before Smith signalled the ceasefire.
Regardless of the perilous position, Dilshan went for his shots from the outset. Along with the more circumspect Lahiru Thirimanne, he endured more edges and misses in the eight-over passage leading up to tea than his bowlers had produced in the 49 overs they bowled in the day. The pitch had pace and bounce, but the lack of sideways movement allowed Dilshan to hit through the line. He smoked Morne Morkel's first ball after the break through cover before flicking him for four more.
Soon Dilshan paraded his assortment of carves, jabs, and heaves to motor Sri Lanka past 50 in the 13th over. Thirimanne escaped when de Villiers backed away from going for a high-flying edge over the slips, but Morkel had his man two balls later with pure pace. Dilshan's impetuosity gave South Africa a beachhead into the middle order, and Mahela Jayawardene endured a couple of scares against Imran Tahir with stumps in sight. But Kumar Sangakkara's fluent driving suggested the visitors were set to enjoy the best batting conditions of the tour well into the third day.
In all the second day yielded 382 for 3, and the tone was set early when five of the first 12 balls of the morning sped to the boundary. Two of them were outside edges from de Villiers, but the other three were vintage Kallis strokes, unfurled seemingly for the benefit of those who may have missed the first day's action - the sumptuous cover drive, the violent pull, and the coaxed on-drive that gained speed as it rolled away. South Africa's momentum never slackened from there on, and their run-rate was well over four by the time they declared.
Sri Lanka weren't alert enough to capitalise when the chances came. Dhammika Prasad got Kallis to edge one that moved away, but Jayawardene clanged it at second slip. That was in the third over of the day, and by the time the next opportunity came, Sri Lanka had just one fly slip. Angelo Mathews produced a nifty legcutter that reared up and took Kallis' edge, but it was out of Jayawardene's range.
Sri Lanka managed only two maidens in the day. Chanaka Welegedara was so pleasantly surprised by the first, that he smiled. Kallis kept accumulating, before a robust cut and another punch through mid-on took him through the 190s. He passed 200 by chopping Perera through point. Just as murmurs of the first 300 by a South African batsman began to do the rounds, Kallis lost his concentration and gifted Rangana Herath his wicket.
His exit brought no respite, and instead heralded a passage of mind-boggling innovation from de Villiers. More than once, he brazenly opened the face to steer balls on purpose into the gap between slip and gully. After reaching 100, he launched Welegedara expansively over mid-off before flapping a high full toss to fine-leg for four. The spinners had no chance, with Dilshan flying over long-on for successive sixes, and Herath being carved from a foot outside leg stump through sweeper-cover. Rudolph looked at home in the middle order, guiding through gully efficiently and lashing Herath through square leg. South Africa's audacity reached a new high when both batsmen reverse-swept boundaries against the spin from the leg stump line, but Smith outdid them with the timing of his declaration. Despite Sri Lanka's encouraging riposte, his side was firmly in control at stumps.
Pakistan v England 2011-12
Riaz relieved to be back after unexplained break
Wahab Riaz, the Pakistan left-arm fast bowler, has said he is relieved to be back in the Test squad for the series against England, after an unexplained six-month break from international cricket. Riaz seemed to have cemented his place in the Pakistan team after an impressive introduction to international cricket but has found himself out of the national side after the tour of the West Indies in May this year.
His name had come up during the spot-fixing trial of Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir in October. The prosecution read out a written statement by Pakistan's security manager, Major Khwaja Najam Javed, which said Najam had found Azhar Majeed, brother of player agent Mazhar Majeed who was convicted of spot-fixing, in Riaz's room in the company of Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal after midnight during The Oval Test match. At the time his name came up in the case Riaz was with the Pakistan Test squad in the UAE for a series against Sri Lanka but did not play any of the Tests and was sent home before the one-day series.
"I am happy and relaxed to be selected again," Riaz told ESPNcricinfo. "I am honoured that the PCB and the selectors have kept their faith in me and supported me all the way. It was a nagging situation for me when I was out and it's obviously difficult when you are not part of the national team despite having all the ability to represent them.
"It was tough not being part of the squad for some time. But I had a firm belief that things will be cleared; I don't want to get into the details. What I know is that I am ready for yet another stint. I have kept myself fit and in form while playing domestic cricket so I don't think I will face any difficulty."
Riaz's last Test match was against West Indies in May. After that he had a stint with Kent during the English domestic season and was rested for Pakistan's tour of Zimbabwe. He seemed set to return for the series against Sri Lanka but did not play a match and was subsequently left out of the squad for the tour of Bangladesh. In the meantime, he took 30 wickets for National Bank of Pakistan at an average of 24.86 in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan's first-class competition. He also got 213 runs in eight innings at an average of 35.50.
Riaz, 26, said he is working on troubling the England batsmen with pace during the Test series that starts in the third week of January. He is among two left-arm seamers in the Test squad, the other being Junaid Khan, who has taken 13 wickets in four Tests in Riaz's absence. Riaz said he had added to his game by improving his batting and wanted to help Pakistan continue their successful run.
"I am fully fit and in good rhythm to carry on. I'm focusing on speed and some variation in my deliveries. I am bowling at a speed of 150 kph and am useful with the bat down the order.
"Our team has done well through the year. The England series will be a tough one but we've got a good combination of bowlers. I will do my best to live up to the expectations."
South Africa v Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Durban, 2nd day
Welegedara gives Sri Lanka big lead
Sri Lanka 338 (Samaraweera 102, Chandimal 58, de Lange 7-81) and 7 for 1 lead South Africa 168 (Amla 54, Welegedara 5-52, Herath 4-49) by 177 runs
In what has already been a champagne year for Test cricket, Chanaka Welegedara and Rangana Herath set Sri Lanka up for what could be the biggest Test upset of 2011. There were no signs of Durban's famed Green Mamba - tides which are rumoured to make the Kingsmead track juicy - but that didn't prevent South Africa from being knocked over for their lowest total against Sri Lanka. While the lower order had to deal with some sharp spin, the specialist batsmen didn't have to face any snorters, which makes the collapse more baffling.
An assured stand of 76 for the fourth wicket between Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers showed how few gremlins there were in the surface, but collapses on either side of that partnership had South Africa scrambling to avert the follow-on. Their tail managed to achieve that, before Welegedara completed his five-for and ended the innings by getting Marchant de Lange to edge to the keeper. de Lange's 7 for 81 had limited Sri Lanka to 338 in the morning, but instead of a well-earned rest after becoming the eighth debutant to take a five-wicket haul this year, he had to bat in the gloom towards the end of the day.
The substantial lead of 170 did not seem likely even after Thilan Samaraweera became only the second Sri Lanka batsman to make a Test century in South Africa. de Lange had ripped out the final three batsmen for three runs, but unfortunately for the home fans the wickets continued to tumble even when South Africa were batting.
Two overs after lunch, Jacques Rudolph continued the trend of batsmen throwing away their wickets, by helping a short ball on leg stump to deep-backward square leg. Graeme Smith followed minutes later, as he fished without footwork at a Chanaka Welegedara delivery to give wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal his first Test catch. It got a lot worse in Welegedara's next over as Jacques Kallis edged to slip to collect a rare Test duck, leaving South Africa at 27 for 3.
South Africa still had two of their most bankable batsmen in the middle - Amla and de Villiers - and they revived the home side by comfortably playing out the rest of the session. de Villiers was subdued, but Amla showed his wide range of whiplash shots through the off side. There were several punches through cover for four and the point boundary was peppered as he pounced on the wide deliveries offered. Dilhara Fernando, regarded as the spearhead of the Sri Lankan attack, was only brought on as the fourth-change bowler, but even his introduction didn't stop Amla, who lashed three fours in one over to cruise towards another half-century.
If South Africa were breathing easier at tea, when they were 100 for 3, they were left gasping by what followed after the break. de Villiers chased a half-volley so wide that he ended up on his knees as he edged the ball to second slip. Welegedara had his fourth important wicket two overs later when Amla was caught behind pushing at a delivery angling across.
That put Sri Lanka in charge, and two players whose places in the South Africa side are under scrutiny were left to launch a rescue effort. Questions over Mark Boucher's batting ability will intensify after his poke to gully off Rangana Herath for 3, but there will be even more pressure on Ashwell Prince after his botched reverse-sweep against the spin, that too when South Africa were 119 for 6. With Herath proving too good for Morne Morkel, South Africa had lost five for 16.
Dale Steyn didn't get a wicket in a completed Test innings for the first time since 2008, but he still made a crucial contribution as he shepherded South Africa past the follow-on mark. The final two wickets put on 49, again showing that this wasn't a pitch impossible to bat on.
South Africa's capitulation made Samaraweera's century - only his second outside Asia -even more significant. He and Herath defied the home side for more than an hour in contrasting style: Samaraweera was 14 short of his hundred overnight and was in no hurry to reach the landmark, while Herath swung at everything, playing some comical yet effective flat-batted swipes against the hulking fast bowlers.
Samaraweera got to his century soon after drinks, pushing the ball towards cover for two, before exuberantly celebrating the milestone by pretending to shoot at someone in the dressing room. Herath was also enjoying himself, with consecutive boundaries, both confident steers past cover point as Sri Lanka moved to 335 for 7 before de Lange's burst brought the innings to a quick end.
South Africa had some cheer late in the day, when Tillakaratne Dilshan perished for 4, but Sri Lanka are still in pole position to extend the home side's Durban jinx.
Australia v India, 1st Test, MCG, 3rd day
Hussey, Ponting steady after India carve up top order
Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey fought to hold Australia's second innings together, after the top order melted away against Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma on a helter skelter day three of the first Test at the MCG.
The hosts went to the tea interval on 4 for 81, with a lead of 132, following the fall of 11 wickets in the first two sessions. Hussey and Ponting were both under enormous pressure for runs entering the match, given their poor recent returns, but the hosts were grateful for their calming presence after the tumult during which they were reduced to 4 for 27.
India had surrendered 8 for 68 to slide ingloriously to 282 all out at lunch, 51 runs short of Australia's 333. Ben Hilfenhaus defeated Rahul Dravid with the second ball of the day and followed up with the wickets of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and the dogged nightwatchman Ishant, while Peter Siddle neutralised the threat of VVS Laxman and rounded things off by disposing of R Ashwin for a useful 31.
The continuing flood of wickets was attributable to smart, full bowling but also indifferent batting, with David Warner, Ed Cowan and Shaun Marsh all guilty of vast misjudgements. Michael Clarke was less culpable, out to a corking delivery from Ishant.
Starting out with a 51-run advantage, Warner and Cowan were unable to get themselves going in the manner of the first innings. Warner looked uncomfortable, tugging at the ball rather than timing it, and it was no great surprise when he dragged Yadav onto the stumps with an angled bat. Cowan had left the ball with great skill on Boxing Day, but two balls after Warner he would die by the sheathed sword, padding up to a Yadav delivery that straightened, and as such having scant cause to complain about the lbw verdict.
Marsh evaded a pair, scoring his first Test runs in Australia, only to perish in a similarly ugly manner to Warner when he snicked a full, wide delivery from Yadav onto the stumps. After an outside edge in the first innings, an inside edge in the second, it was clear Marsh lacked Test match touch after injury and one Twenty20 knock.
At three down India had the scent, and it became a pungent whiff with the fall of Clarke to a beautifully-pitched delivery from Ishant that seamed back and removed the leg bail via the inside edge. Clarke's exit was all too swift, and echoes of Cape Town hung tangibly in the air.
Hussey and Ponting responded to their predicament with firm intent and attractive strokes, pulling, cutting and driving to extend the lead and take Australia past the accursed 47. Hussey's first boundary was an edge through the slips, but thereafter he was decisive and impressive, attempting to make amends for an awfully slim run of scores since a bountiful tour of Sri Lanka in September.
Dravid and Ishant had earlier walked to the middle on resumption, their sights set on establishing a first-innings advantage. Hilfenhaus had been ineffective late on the second day, yet started things off on the third and enjoyed instant success. Dravid played the day's first delivery to mid-on, but the second slid subtly away from him to elude his defensive bat and flick off stump. A second wicket in as many overs had Australia back in the match.
Laxman took guard on a ground where he has never enjoyed success, in marked contrast to the rest of Australia. There is no rhyme, nor reason for the anomaly, the habit compounding itself with each tour. This time he lingered 21 balls for two, before finally being undone by a Siddle delivery that shaped nicely away to catch an edge that Brad Haddin pouched. Given the torment he has inflicted on them in the past, the Australians were understandably exultant.
Clarke only allowed three overs of Nathan Lyon's spin before recalling Hilfenhaus, and second ball the Tasmanian found the ideal line to draw Kohli's outside edge and grant Haddin another catch. Six wickets were down before the arrival of the second new ball.
Dhoni, so difficult to contain on Indian pitches, has shown vulnerability in foreign climes before, and there was a whiff of the England tour about his brief stay. Now using a fresh projectile, Hilfenhaus gave India's captain a trio of straight deliveries before floating one wider, with bounce. An airy drive and a catch in the gully ensued, sinking the visitors deeper into the morning mire.
James Pattinson was denied an lbw decision against R Ashwin for reasons known only to the umpire Marais Erasmus, leaving Hilfenhaus to turn his attention to Ishant. Let down by his batsmen, Ishant finally lost patience, and swished at another outswinger.
Zaheer Khan was not inclined to hang around it was not long before he was bowled by Pattinson, having an unsightly heave at a full-length ball. Ashwin and Yadav offered a cheeky last-wicket stand of 23 before Siddle nipped out Ashwin to present Haddin with his fifth catch of the innings.
Australia v India, 1st Test, Melbourne, 1st day
Cowan, Yadav shine on see-saw day
.Australia's batsmen scrambled to 6 for 277 against a shrewd and opportunistic India on day one of the Boxing Day Test, and would not have progressed that far without a meritorious debut from Ed Cowan in front of 70,068 spectators at the MCG.
Losing Michael Hussey to a decision that would have been reversed with the aid of technology - Cowan also had reason to query his exit - the hosts were still some way short of a substantial total by the close. Brad Haddin and Peter Siddle were established however, and their contributions will be critical when play resumes.
Cowan's 68, in 294 minutes and 177 balls, was no more or less than he had promised to deliver as a circumspect, organised opening bat. But its influence on proceedings was lessened by the others' failure to bat around him, save for an innings of 62 from Ricky Ponting that alternated between edgy and elegant.
India's captain MS Dhoni rotated his bowlers expertly, recovering from the hour after lunch when Ponting and Cowan had threatened to carry the day. India's refusal to accept the DRS also allowed the visitors to place pressure on the umpires Marais Erasmus and Ian Gould in the time-honoured style, achieving the desired result in the final session.
Zaheer Khan turned the day India's way with the removal of Michael Clarke and Hussey to successive, reverse-swinging balls, after Umesh Yadav demonstrated his knack for speed and wickets with a trio either side of a profligate post-lunch spell. R Ashwin accounted for Cowan in the following over and gained appreciable turn at times to suggest he will be a threat across this series.
Opening after Clarke won a quite ambiguous toss, Cowan and David Warner walked to the middle under overcast skies to a surface the offered the promise of early seam to augment the swing offered by the atmosphere. First strike was taken by the debutant, and Cowan responded by playing out Zaheer's well-directed opening over with plenty of nerves but just as much good sense. His first run arrived in the second over with a tap wide of mid on, before Warner commenced with a streaky inside edge to the fine-leg boundary.
From this inauspicious beginning Warner was quickly into stride, cuffing a handful of boundaries in between sensible pushes and nudges around the ground's vast expanses. Zaheer moved the ball and Ishant Sharma bounced it, but Australia's openers negotiated their opening spells with as much confidence as could be expected. The introduction of Yadav prompted Cowan to unfurl one glorious straight drive amid his otherwise abstemious defence, and Warner followed up in the same over by biffing the bowler through cover, then hooking uproariously into the crowd.
A brief rain delay broke the rhythm of the stand, and when the players returned Warner perished immediately, attempting to repeat his hook at Yadav and gloving gently behind to Dhoni. Yadav had his tail up, firing down his deliveries with plenty of speed, and had Marsh struck on the pad first up. Having played only one Twenty20 innings since his return to fitness after a painful back complaint that afflicted him in South Africa, Marsh did not look at ease, and to his seventh ball he walked too late into a drive and sliced it to gully.
Smart stats
Ed Cowan's 68 is the highest score by an Australian opener in his debut Test innings since Wayne Phillips' 159 against Pakistan in 1983. During this period, Michael Slater is the only other opener to score a half-century in his first innings.
Ricky Ponting's 62 is his third half-century in his last five Test innings. It's also his fifth half-century at No.4, but he has never scored more than 78 batting at that slot.
Ponting is third in the all-time list of run-getters in Tests at the MCG, behind Don Bradman (1671) and Steve Waugh (1284). Ponting currently has 1278.
Michael Hussey's duck is his 12th in Tests since the beginning of 2008, which is as many as Chris Martin's tally during this period. Only Mitchell Johnson (14) has more.
Australia's average second-wicket partnership in Tests in 2011 is 22.06, which is the lowest among all teams this year.
The 113-run stand between Cowan and Ponting is Australia's second-highest for the third wicket against India at the MCG, next to only the 169-run stand between Bradman and Lindsay Hassett in 1948.
Suddenly 0 for 46 had become two for the same score, and Ponting's arrival brought a crowd response that suggested both appreciation and trepidation for Australia's former captain. Off his second ball Ponting swivelled to hook a short ball, but was struck a stunning blow to the jaw. Ponting was still alert enough to side-foot the rebound away from his stumps, but it was another reminder of how his command over the bouncer has slipped ever since West Indies' Kemar Roach pinned him on the arm at Perth in 2009.
Through it all Cowan maintained his composure, cracking Ishant through the covers with some flourish to add a second boundary after taking a blow to the body from Yadav, and Ponting gradually began to find a little more equilibrium. He slipped over while pulling at Zaheer, but the ungainly follow-through was less important than the sight of the ball skimming to the backward square-leg boundary.
Resumption was delayed by further showers, and when it arrived India's bowlers lapsed in line, length and attitude. Cowan was granted the chance to gather momentum with a handful of boundaries, one a chancy cut over gully but the rest pleasingly fluent, and Ponting also took advantage of some wayward stuff from Yadav in particular. Swiftly the 50-run stand and the Australian 100 were raised, in a union between a Tasmanian living in Sydney (Ponting) and a New South Welshman renewed in Hobart (Cowan).
Some of Ponting's strokes were reprised from the pages of his regal best, one back foot punch off the toes from Ishant more than enough to get the crowd cooing. They were on their feet soon after as his half-century was raised, via a rather more ungainly slog sweep for three. The rain delayed the tea break and Cowan took his time to reach his own 50, but a nudge into the offside brought it in 120 new-ball-blunting balls.
Yadav returned to the attack for a spell near the interval, and found something approaching the vim of his morning burst. Ponting was unnerved by his first ball, rearing off a length, and dismissed by the third, which swerved away on a line just close enough to off stump for an uncertain batsman. VVS Laxman held the nick, the union was broken at 113, and Ponting's interminable wait for another Test century continued.
Clarke offered useful company to Cowan for a time, the pair adding 46 either side of the interval. India responded by tightening up, and only four runs had been accrued from three overs when Zaheer beat Clarke's outside edge with a delivery that zipped away, then forced a cuff onto the stumps from the next when the batsman shaped to cut far too close to his body.
The sin of Clarke's dismissal for 31 was compounded next ball, Hussey fending at a short-pitcher from Zaheer that passed close to, but did not appear to touch, bat or glove on the way through to Dhoni. The umpire Erasmus intuited an edge and raised his finger, and with no DRS recourse, Hussey had to go.
While Haddin averted the hat-trick, Cowan now let his guard down, cutting impatiently at Ashwin and was adjudged by Gould to have offered the thinnest of edges to Dhoni. Hot-spot showed no evidence of contact, adding another unhappy chapter to the saga of technology and its inconsistent use. Batting as though they were aware of the total's inadequacy, Haddin and Siddle dug in, and eluded a tight lbw appeal each. They will face a refreshed India in the morning.
Ishant and Zaheer had both been ruled fit and were joined in the attack by Yadav and Ashwin, who won the spinner's spot ahead of Pragyan Ojha. Australia's line-up was confirmed two days ago and there were no late changes, with Ben Hilfenhaus in for Mitchell Starc and Cowan named at the top of the order. Australia's 427th Test cricketer, Cowan was presented with his baggy green by Dean Jones, before the toss.
Pakistan / News
Misbah-ul-Haq sets sights on England
Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has already set his sights on the home series against England in the UAE, in January and February 2012, after completing a successful tour of Bangladesh. The Pakistan team returned home on Friday after winning all their matches in Bangladesh - two Tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20 international - to end a successful year.Their next assignment is against England, the No.1 ranked Test side. Pakistan are presently No. 5, above Sri Lanka, their best rating since March 2009. "The series against England is important, and very tough," Misbah said in Lahore. "England is the world's best Test team, but on current form we can beat any team."
Since taking over the captaincy from Salman Butt, following the spot-fixing scandal on the tour of England in 2010, Misbah led Pakistan in 13 Tests, of which they won six, drew six and lost one. Misbah, however, said there was scope for improvement. "Despite achieving some good results we still need to overcome some of the mistakes we committed. The management as well as the players are determined to overcome them because England will be really tough.
"Our targets on the Bangladesh tour were to keep consistency in our performance, overcome some of the mistakes and improve our rankings, and we achieved that."
The results in Bangladesh came soon after the success against Sri Lanka in the UAE, where Pakistan won the Tests 1-0 and the ODIs 4-1. "The best part about this team is that we have good coordination among the seniors and juniors," Misbah said. "The support staff is helping players, and each and every player realises his duty, and that will help us against England."
Pakistan retained the interim coach Mohsin Khan for the series against England, while they continue their search for a permanent replacement for Waqar Younis. Mohsin also said the team was already looking forward to 2012. " We played good cricket all year long and hence the year ends on a successful note. Now the wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are part of history," he said. "We have to start afresh against England and need to raise our game because the next opponents are very strong and ranked No. 1 in the world. We are coming through a successful winning record and I am confident that we can obtain very good results against them."
Pakistan selectors will meet next week to pick the squad against England. There will be a training camp in Lahore before the departure for the UAE, where the first Test begins on January 17.
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India's Match Schedule
International tours
New Zealand v Zimbabwe, Jan - Feb 2012
Pakistan v England, Jan - Feb 2012
New Zealand v South Africa, Feb - Mar 2012
Sri Lanka v England, Mar - Apr 2012
West Indies v Australia, Mar - Apr 2012
International tournaments
Commonwealth Bank Series, Feb - Mar 2012
ICC Under-19 World Cup, Aug 2012
ICC World Twenty20, Sep - Oct 2012
ICC Women's World Twenty20, Sep - Oct 2012
26-30 Dec 2011 India v Australia 1st Test Melbourne 05:00 IST International tours
New Zealand v Zimbabwe, Jan - Feb 2012
Pakistan v England, Jan - Feb 2012
New Zealand v South Africa, Feb - Mar 2012
Sri Lanka v England, Mar - Apr 2012
West Indies v Australia, Mar - Apr 2012
International tournaments
Commonwealth Bank Series, Feb - Mar 2012
ICC Under-19 World Cup, Aug 2012
ICC World Twenty20, Sep - Oct 2012
ICC Women's World Twenty20, Sep - Oct 2012
03-07 Jan 2012 India v Australia 2nd Test Sydney 05:00 IST
13-17 Jan 2012 India v Australia 3rd Test Paarl 08:00 IST
24-28 Jan 2012 India v Australia 4th Test Adelaide 05:30 IST
