FunKingdom's Cricket Zone

Ponting slumps after Adelaide failures

2010-12-07T07:55:00.001-08:00

Ricky Ponting has fallen out of the world's top 20 batsmen for the first time since 2001 following his double failure in Adelaide as Australia were crushed by an innings-and-71 runs in the second Ashes Test. The man who removed him for a first-innings golden duck, James Anderson, has risen to a career-best No. 3 in the bowling rankings while Graeme Swann has closed the gap on Dale Steyn at No. 1.

Ponting didn't survive the opening over in Adelaide, when he was caught at slip first ball, and could only manage 9 in the second innings before he was removed by Swann. It meant he had only 70 runs in four innings for the series, 51 of those in the second innings in Brisbane as the match was drawn.

Anderson overtook Zaheer Khan to secure third spot following his match figures of 6 for 143. He began the match in stunning style by removing Ponting and Michael Clarke as Australia slumped to 3 for 2 and then, on the final morning, found himself on a hat-trick after claiming Brad Haddin and Ryan Harris.

Swann, meanwhile, bounced back from a disappointing performance in Brisbane by playing a key role in England's innings-and-71-run victory. He took two important wickets in the first innings, but came into his own second time around as he bagged five on a wearing pitch.

He is now just 14 points behind Steyn at the top of the table and, if he performs well in Perth and Melbourne, has a chance to finish the year as the leading bowler in the world. However, Steyn will be looking to consolidate his position when he leads South Africa's attack against India in the Test series that starts on December 16

After conceding 620 runs it's not surprising that Australia's bowlers slipped, with Doug Bollinger sliding four places to No. 13 and Peter Siddle, who hasn't claimed a wicket since his Brisbane hat-trick, slipping three to No. 17.

England also made significant gains on the batting front, with Jonathan Trott continuing his rise after securing a career-best position last week and moving further up to sixth place, while Alastair Cook's mighty form has seen him climb to No. 13 and he now has the most points of his career. Kevin Pietersen is also marching back up the ladder after ending his lean run with a career-best 227.

The one bright spot for Australia has been Mike Hussey's form and he gained ten places following his match double of 93 and 52 in Adelaide. Michael Clarke's second-innings 80 has prevented him from slipping down the list.

New Zealand edge ahead with timely strikes

2010-12-07T07:54:00.001-08:00

New Zealand reduced India to 130 for 4 to hold the advantage at the half-way mark of the chase at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. There were three distinct phases of play during the chase: India dawdled to 10 from four overs, raced to 67 from ten, crawled again to reach 89 for 2 in 16 overs before losing two quick wickets in the rebuilding stage.

The start was tentative, perhaps due to the pressure exerted by the big target and, also, partly due to Parthiv Patel feeling the heat of a comeback. Patel was on 5 after facing16 deliveries before he started to counterattack with a little bit of help from New Zealand. Until then, they had tied him down with a fuller length but helped him break free by feeding him short deliveries. Parthiv slashed and cut his way to a maiden fifty but fell when the heat picked up again.

During the short period that India dominated, Gautam Gambhir also laced boundaries on both sides of the wicket. When he held his pose after driving Andy McKay through covers on a bent knee in the eight over, with the score 44 for 0, it seemed India had well and truly broken free of the early shackles. However, New Zealand, as they had done with the bat, came back strongly to retain control.

It happened for them in the tenth over, bowled by Andy McKay. First, Ross Taylor was seen suggesting that McKay try slower ones. Gambhir edged the first one to the fine-leg boundary but cut the next straight to point. Mckay removed Virat Kohli in the same over, by inducing him to top-edge a pull shot to the fine-leg boundary. Nathan McCullum then struck twice in succession to reduce India to 108 for 4. McCullum had Yuvraj Singh swiping to short midwicket and lured Patel into holing out at long-on. Things would have been dire for India had the umpire Ameesh Sahiba upheld a regulation bat and pad catch: Rohit Sharma was on 0 when he inside edged Daniel Vettori on to his pad and Brendon McCullum held the rebound.

50 Overs New Zealand 315 for 7 (Franklin 98*, Taylor 46, McCullum 42) v India

James Franklin played a perfectly-paced innings - ramping it up in the last couple of overs - to propel New Zealand to a strong position in the fourth ODI in Bangalore. His knock provided the perfect climax to New Zealand's refreshing approach today; the openers attacked to take them to 91 for 2 in the 14th over and the middle-order adapted to the fall of wickets by rebuilding at a slower pace before Franklin's final flourish. India, led by Ashish Nehra, soaked up the pressure of the attack by the openers, and seemed to be in the game till the end but Franklin broke their discipline, and ruined their figures, with a stunning assault.

Franklin looted 22 runs in the final over, bowled by Nehra, with some wickedly entertaining big hits: He smashed the second delivery to the straight boundary, the third over long-off, the fourth to midwicket, and the fifth to the wide long-off boundary. It was not, however, a knock of such fury and adrenalin from the start; he had actually built his innings with conventional shots, such as the one in 47th over, when he was batting with the tail and was under some pressure. He sashayed down the track to Yusuf Pathan, who had just picked two wickets, and nonchalantly flicked him wide of the deep midwicket fielder. No manic rush or desperation; he simply carried on with his style, sweeping the spinners and flicking and square driving the seamers to get to his fifty. Only in the final two overs did he explode.

His change of pace reflected New Zealand's overall approach. There were two moments when they could have stumbled: They were at 210 for 5 after Ross Taylor fell, trapped lbw by R Ashwin, first ball after taking the batting Powerplay in the 38th over and they were at 249 for 6 in 43 overs when Daniel Vettori was dismissed. Yet they kept their composure and the innings stayed on track.

New Zealand began in audacious manner in overcast conditions and with some movement - especially in a fine opening over from Zaheer Khan; Brendon McCullum opted for unconventional methods, charging down or shuffling across to create room for his unorthodoxy to flower, while Guptill was aggressive within the framework of traditional batting, lofting his drives and whipping the full deliveries through the on side.

McCullum made his first move in the second over, from Praveen Kumar, by rushing down the track to play a one-handed carve over cover point. That emboldened him to play more such strokes: he smashed Zaheer to the straight boundary, lifted him over mid-off, shuffled to the off to force a boundary on the leg side and lifted Nehra to the long-off boundary. India tried to see if he would make a mistake against spin but McCullum continued to impose himself, deploying both conventional and reverse-sweeps to pick up boundaries against R Ashwin.

It was Guptill who first got the chance to activate this aggressive plan. Praveen tried to bring the lbw into play with a couple of inswingers but Guptill took the risk and flicked him across the line to the midwicket boundary. He then twice lofted Nehra over mid-on and, at that point, New Zealand were sitting pretty on 62 for 0 in 8.3 overs.

Nehra engineered India's fightback, though he was helped by a mistake from Guptill, who carved a full delivery outside off to short extra cover. It wasn't clear whether the error happened because Guptill had played one shot too many and hence was over-aggressive, or whether it was because he had played a half-hearted shot. India had their breakthrough and a foot back in the game. In his next over, Nehra induced Jamie How to edge a length delivery to slips and New Zealand were 70 for 2.

Then Ashwin, who leaked 17 runs in his first two overs and had just been swept for a boundary, tossed one full outside off stump and lured McCullum into swiping it to Rohit Sharma at short midwicket. New Zealand, who were 91 for 3 with McCullum's fall in the 14th over, started to consolidate. Ross Taylor and Scott Styris, perhaps aware of the fragility of the lower order, chose caution over aggression as New Zealand sauntered in the middle overs before Franklin imposed himself in some style.

Unexpected reversals leave IPL preparations in disarray

2010-12-07T07:53:00.000-08:00

The BCCI has convened a special general body meeting (SGM) in Mumbai on Saturday to discuss the reappointment of the board's disciplinary committee. The tenure of the committee, which is investigating the conduct of former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, expired at September's annual general body meeting. The board, however, failed to reappoint or reconstitute it, technically stripping it of its existence. The BCCI secretary N Srinivasan told PTI news agency that the reappointment of the committee was "a minor thing" which had been pointed out by Modi's lawyer, Mehmood Abdi last month.

The SGM, ostensibly to tackle a "minor" issue, will be held in the backdrop of several major, unexpected reversals for a board that is usually used to getting its own way. One of the BCCI's more serious challenges is the stuttering preparation for IPL 2011.

The past six months have been dogged by the controversial termination of two franchises (Rajasthan Royals and the Kings XI Punjab), and a protracted ownership-pattern dispute over a third, (the new Kochi franchise). As a result of the controversies, the player auction has been delayed by several months and going by the BCCI's legal battles, could well be held in the middle of the 2011 World Cup.

The confusion over the eventual number of teams that will be involved next season affects every component of the world's most lucrative domestic league: its teams/ franchises, its players and its very structure. IPL 2011 now faces several scenarios:

If both expelled teams take part in the player auction, it will become much harder to prevent them at a later date from playing in the IPL, as any players who sign with them would then be left without a team.
The league is currently slated to have eight teams playing each other home and away, just like in the first three seasons. A ninth team would naturally result in an unbalanced schedule, while 10 teams could increase the overall number of fixtures and once again rake up the issue of player burnout.
The board is considering delaying the player auction until March, by which time its legal issues are expected to be resolved, and it will know how many teams will be playing. That would, however, result in the player auction clashing with the World Cup and will prevent teams from being able to use their players in promotions and advertising campaigns, potentially causing them to breach their obligations to their sponsors.

Rajasthan are already back in the league less than two months after being 'terminated' due to an interim stay order from Justice Srikrishna, the arbitor in the case. While the board has appealed against Srikrishna's ruling to the Bombay High Court, legal opinion suggests it will be difficult to overturn his order. There is also believed to be a sentiment within the IPL governing council that the cases of Rajasthan and Punjab are "reasonably strong", and that the BCCI's leadership is going after too many people at the same time.

Srikrishna has restored Rajasthan's rights under the franchise agreement, including the right to take part in the player auction. Srikrishna also stated that the BCCI could not make any rules that would adversely affect Rajasthan, for example changing any of the league's rules, hampering the board's ability to alter its plans as the legal cases unfold. Srikrishna may have stepped down from the Punjab hearing, but it is believed that the stay in favour of Rajasthan could have a bearing on their case when it comes up for hearing.

Punjab accused the board of "deliberately" delaying its proceedings so that the December 6 deadline for the retention of select players in each team would expire, leaving Punjab looking in from the outside. The Bombay High Court ruled in Punjab's favour, and extended the deadline to December 8, handing the BCCI yet another setback, and suggesting Punjab has a case against the board.

The longer the cases drag on, the harder it becomes for the board, and the franchises, to plan for the 2011 tournament.

Swann bowls England to innings victory

2010-12-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

England have one hand on the Ashes after Graeme Swann bowled them to victory with a five-wicket haul in Adelaide, where neither rain nor the lower order could save Australia on the fifth morning. The significance of the win cannot be underestimated, as it gives England a 1-0 advantage heading in to the third Test in Perth, which starts in a week and a half.

The triumph came when Swann turned a ball through the gate to bowl Peter Siddle, completing his five-for and confirming the margin of an innings and 71 runs. It was a devastating morning for Australia, who began the day hopeful that they could survive for a draw with six wickets in hand, but it took England less than 90 minutes to skittle the remaining Australians.

Last time England took a series lead in Australia, it was 1986-87, and they did not give it away. And as the holders of the urn, Andrew Strauss and his men will retain the Ashes unless Australia can win at least two of the remaining three Tests, a monumental task given that they have now gone five Tests without tasting victory, stretching back to the series against Pakistan in England.

There will be changes for both teams at the WACA, with England forced to look to Chris Tremlett or Tim Bresnan, due to a series-ending abdominal injury to Stuart Broad. Australia will have to find a new opener as Simon Katich's Achilles tendon problem has ruled him out of the rest of the series, while Xavier Doherty and Marcus North will also face a nervous wait to see if they keep their places.

North could have saved his position by salvaging a draw for Australia on the final day, but he was one of the wickets to fall cheaply as England wrapped up the contest before lunch. The visitors knew a thunderstorm was expected later in the afternoon, and after they made the initial breakthrough by getting rid of the established Michael Hussey for 52, they tightened the noose on Australia's lower order.

Hussey and North resumed at 4 for 238 after the loss of Michael Clarke from the last ball of play on Monday, and it took only six overs for England to get a sniff of victory. Hussey was dropped by Matt Prior off the bowling of Swann but didn't survive a second chance when he top-edged a pull off Steven Finn and was comfortably taken at midwicket by James Anderson.

There was a roar from Anderson as soon as he had the ball safely in his hands, knowing that the in-form Hussey was the big breakthrough England required. Brad Haddin followed soon afterwards for 12 when he edged behind off Anderson, and England were in to Australia's long tail, with North carrying the home team's slim hopes at the other end.

Anderson quickly found himself on a hat-trick when Ryan Harris made unwanted history by completing a king pair, leaving a ball that swung back in and struck him in line with the stumps. Out of desperation more than belief, Harris asked for a review, but there was no way he was going to be saved, and neither were Australia.

There was no hat-trick for Anderson when he began his next over but he didn't really mind, as in the meantime Swann had removed North, the last of Australia's specialist batsmen, for 22. This time the review system did overturn a decision; Tony Hill gave North not out as he came forward with bat and pad close together, Swann wanted a referral, and the replays showed it was pad first, hitting the stumps, and a potentially career-busting blow for North.

Swann bowled outstandingly on the final day, and deserved his 5 for 91. In the absence of Broad for much of the innings, he sent down 41.1 overs, and collected the final two wickets when he sneaked the ball under the bat of Doherty for 5 and then finished off Siddle.

And it all happened under the most perfect, sunny skies. If Australia were hoping for storms, their prayers were not answered. In truth, they never recovered from the hurricane that struck on the first morning when they were 3 for 2. And now, England need only one more victory to retain the Ashes.

Hussey's contrast, and the Gabba flattened

2010-12-03T01:44:00.000-08:00

Michael Hussey's has been a curious international career so far. In his first three years he was so good that his average was closer to the Don than anyone else's had been (among those who'd played at least 15 Tests). Graeme Pollock, George Headley and Herbert Sutcliffe all averaged a touch above 60, but Hussey strode above them all with an average of 80.58, having made 15 scores of 50 or more in 19 matches.

Then came the inevitable slump. The next couple of years, which, unfortunately from his point of view, were extremely busy ones for Australia, also coincided with a terrible run for Hussey - the average dropped from almost 85 to 52 in 21 matches. During a span of six series in a little over a year, only once did he remotely resemble a run machine, when he scored 394 in four Tests in India. Three times in those six series his average dipped below 23. When he scored 34 and 20 in the second Test against India earlier this year, his career average dipped below 50 for the first time since his first Test.

It's since moved back up beyond 50 but Hussey will have a job on his hands to keep it above that benchmark, especially since Australia have tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa scheduled over the next 10 months. A break-up of Hussey's career numbers shows that while he has generally been unstoppable at home, he has been a much lesser force when he travels. His home average is more than 65, but apart from Bangladesh, in each of the other countries he has played in he averages less than 45, and in countries other than India, less than 40. As the table below shows, Hussey's home and away numbers are extremely skewed - even more than Mahela Jayawardene's - but while Jayawardene has attracted plenty of negative comment for his stats, Hussey has so far escaped similar censure.

Michael Hussey, home and away
Venue	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Home	29	2576	66.05	9/ 9
Away/ neutral	26	1699	38.61	3/ 12
Career	55	4275	51.50	12/ 21

Among Australian batsmen who've scored more than 1500 away runs over the last two decades, Hussey's average is among the poorest, with only Mark Taylor and Michael Slater faring worse. One of the factors that has hurt Hussey when he has played outside Australia is his conversion rate: out of 15 scores of 50-plus, he has converted only three into hundreds; in Australia the corresponding numbers are nine out of 18. The ratio of Tests per 50-plus score is almost the same both home and away - 1.61 in Australia and 1.73 overseas - but the difference in conversion rates means the difference in averages is significant. The Gabba Test against England was another example of this, when he got a start and almost ended up converting it into a doube-hundred.

Australian batsmen at overseas and neutral venues since Jan 1990 (Qual: 1500 runs)
Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Steve Waugh	64	4473	56.62	15/ 17
Adam Gilchrist	41	2634	49.69	10/ 9
Ricky Ponting	69	5460	49.18	18/ 22
Damien Martyn	34	2391	45.98	9/ 10
Simon Katich	35	2684	45.49	7/ 14
Matthew Hayden	47	3415	42.68	9/ 13
Michael Clarke	34	2265	41.94	6/ 10
Justin Langer	50	3268	41.36	8/ 17
Mark Waugh	67	4010	40.50	9/ 24
David Boon	28	1697	40.40	5/ 7
Michael Hussey	26	1699	38.61	3/ 12
Mark Taylor	43	2693	37.92	6/ 13
Michael Slater	41	2470	35.28	5/ 9

The 2008-09 season was a poor one for Hussey at home - in five Tests against New Zealand and South Africa he scored one half-century and three ducks - but apart from that he has averaged more than 55 in every season. It's hardly surprising that his home average is the highest among all Australians since 1990.

Australian batsmen at home since Jan 1990 (Qual: 1500 runs)
Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Michael Hussey	29	2576	66.05	9/ 9
Ricky Ponting	80	6851	60.09	21/ 34
Matthew Hayden	56	5210	57.88	21/ 16
Michael Clarke	31	2293	57.32	8/ 9
Michael Slater	33	2842	52.62	9/ 12
Steve Waugh	69	4565	50.16	14/ 20
David Boon	34	2606	49.16	8/ 11
Justin Langer	55	4428	48.65	15/ 13
Damien Martyn	33	2015	46.86	4/ 13
Adam Gilchrist	55	2936	45.87	7/ 17

Hussey's aggression against Graeme Swann might have surprised some, but perhaps the answer lies in the table below: spinners seldom get him out in Australia, and he mostly scores heavily off them. His average against spinners at home is almost 100, which is more than twice his overseas average. In the Ashes series in England, Swann dismissed Hussey twice, at an average of 43.50, and went at 2.93 runs per over. In the Gabba Test, Hussey scored 66 off 100 balls from Swann, a run rate of nearly four per over. If past record is any indication, Hussey could well continue his domination of Swann through the series.

Hussey against pace and spin overseas
Bowler type	Runs	Balls	Dismissals	Average
Pace	1042	2269	28	37.21
Spin	657	1427	15	43.80

Hussey against pace and spin at home
Bowler type	Runs	Balls	Dismissals	Average
Pace	1683	3372	30	56.10
Spin	893	1767	9	99.22

The Gabba flattened
The last sentence of last week's column read thus: "Luckily for those who prefer a more even contest between bat and ball, an Ashes Test at the Gabba is already underway." Those words of wisdom were written after the first day of that Test, when England had been bundled out for 260, but events over the next four days demonstrated the perils of speaking (or writing) too soon. England's top three batted, batted and then batted some more, so that by the end of the fifth day the Test match ended with the highest runs-per-wicket number in the entire history of Tests at the Gabba. And by some distance too: the average of 62.04 was more than 14 runs clear of the previous highest, which was also in a Test involving the same teams but 45 years ago.

In fact, not only is it the highest average at the Gabba, it's also among the most batsman-dominated Tests ever played in Australia. Only twice has a Test in Australia produced a higher average, both in Sydney: in 2003-04 the game against India, Steve Waugh's last Test, had an average of 69.88, while the one against West Indies in 1992-93 produced 64.52 runs per wicket.

Last week's match is also the only contribution by the Gabba to the top 19 matches in Australia in terms of averages, which shows how unusual it is for Brisbane to produce flat decks. Adelaide, on the other hand, figures in the list five times, Melbourne and Sydney four times each, Perth three times and Hobart twice. (Click here for the full list of matches.)

Bangladesh on course chasing 191

2010-12-03T01:42:00.000-08:00

Junaid Siddique and Raqibul Hasan were in control of the chase at the halfway mark, despite Tamim Iqbal throwing away a brisk start, leaving Bangladesh well placed to level the five-match ODI series at 1-1.

Tamim's breezy 44 meant Bangladesh needed to score only around three runs an over after his dismissal, and Siddique and Raqibul were doing the job with ease during an unbeaten 43-run stand for the third wicket. While Siddique was quick to drive and loft anything pitched up, Raqibul used his feet efficiently against spin, working the ball around for singles. Chigumbura rotated his bowlers, even turning to the medium pace of Chamu Chibhabha, but Siddique and Raqibul stood firm.

Tamim had earlier got Bangladesh off to a quick start as they came out to bat before lunch. Prosper Utseya opened for Zimbabwe with offspin, and was greeted with a six and a four over mid-off as his three overs went for 19. At the other end, Chris Mpofu surprised Imrul Kayes with sharp bounce and away movement to induce an edge to Tatenda Taibu. Mpofu could have had another one in the same over, but Elton Chigumbura dropped a sitter as Siddique hit airily to mid-off.

Undeterred, Tamim drove the first ball after lunch straight in to the non-striker's stumps, and got across to glance the next two deliveries past short fine leg for boundaries. When Siddique too got going with a perfect back-foot punch through cover, it seemed Bangladesh had learned from the disaster chase two days ago, when most of the batsmen threw away their wickets with reckless shots to fall nine short of 209. But old habits came back to haunt them when Tamim, who had seemed in no trouble as he raced to 44, holed out to Mpofu off Ray Price, looking to send the ball out of the ground again after having hit the previous delivery for six.

Bangladesh slowed down a touch after Tamim's dismissal, with Price being miserly. But unlike the Bangladesh spinners, who had kept up the pressure from both ends, Utseya continued to leak runs. Siddique made Zimbabwe pay for the dropped chance, and along with Raqibul, who replaced Mohammad Ashraful, consolidated the innings.

Abdur Razzak and Shakib Al Hasan did what they have become increasingly adept at, putting the squeeze on Zimbabwe's batsmen on a typically slow Mirpur surface, before Razzak finished them off for 191 with a late hat-trick. The left-arm spin duo picked up nine wickets for 69 runs in 18.2 overs as Zimbabwe struggled almost throughout their innings. Except for a brief period, when 57 came in eight overs during a busy seventh-wicket stand between Craig Ervine and Prosper Utseya, the runs were hard to come by.

Ervine and Utseya showed the way to stuttering top and middle-order batsmen, who had thrown away starts to leave Zimbabwe struggling at 132 for 6 after 37 overs. However, Razzak returned to remove Utseya with the last ball of the 45th over, and then trapped Ray Price and Chris Mpofu leg before with the first two deliveries of the 47th, ensuring Zimbabwe failed to bat 50 overs. Ervine, who played with an urgency that eluded the batsmen preceding him, was stranded on 42.

Ervine had given direction to an innings that was going nowhere as soon as he arrived at the crease. The flighted deliveries from the spinners were driven down the ground and through extra cover, and when the bowlers shortened the length, he went back to work the ball into gaps. He also used the sweeps, conventional and reverse, to good effect. Meanwhile, Utseya targeted the vacant deep-midwicket region, repeatedly swinging the left-arm spinners against the turn over the infield. He also made room outside leg to cut the short deliveries.

At 189 for 6, with more than five overs to go, including four of the batting Powerplay, Zimbabwe were targeting a total in excess of 225, which could have proved difficult to chase. However, Razzak and Shakib orchestrated the late collapse, ensuring Bangladesh would chase well under 200.

Zimbabwe had struggled in the middle overs against the rampant spinners, with Keith Dabengwa and Tatenda Taibu using 104 deliveries for a 48-run stand for the fourth wicket. They were unable to rotate the strike, repeatedly finding the fielders as the slow bowlers kept it flat and tight on the stumps. Both batsmen's dismissals highlighted their frustration at being unable to score: Dabengwa spooned a full toss back to Shakib, while Taibu was given out lbw after missing an attempted reverse sweep for the umpteenth time. Four overs later, Elton Chigumbura swung wildly at Shakib and was bowled as Zimbabwe slid to 132 for 6.

The start hadn't been as bleak for Zimbabwe when Brendan Taylor and Regis Chakabva had taken them to 50 for 1 by the tenth over, despite the early fall of Chamu Chibhabha. However, the introduction of spin as early as the seventh over brought results for Bangladesh. Taylor tried to manufacture a shot against Shakib, skipping down the track and looking to go over extra cover. He only got as far as Raqibul Hasan - playing in place of Mohammad Ashraful - who timed his leap perfectly to take the catch.

In the next over, Chakabva offered a chance to Tamim Iqbal at short fine leg, top-edging a sweep. Tamim ran in and swooped down on the ball, but dropped the takeable catch. The miss didn't cost Bangladesh much as Razzak deceived Chakabva with flight and turn in his next over and Mushfiqur Rahim effected an easy stumping. From 50 for 1, Zimbabwe had slipped to 56 for 3. A period of slow and painful consolidation followed as Dabengwa and Taibu tried to work out how to score against spin without taking too many risks, but the runs were not coming easily.

Anderson bowls England in to powerful position

2010-12-03T01:40:00.000-08:00

James Anderson reduced Australia to their worst start to a Test innings in 60 years and despite a stirring fightback from Michael Hussey, England remained well on top after the opening day in Adelaide. Few venues in the world are kinder to batsmen than Adelaide Oval, and after winning the toss on a 34-degree day, for Australia to be dismissed for 245 before stumps was not only sub-par, it was potentially ruinous.

Anderson and Graeme Swann bowled superbly on the flat surface at a ground that holds four-year-old nightmares for some of the England players. It was the Australians who were suffering from frightening visions early on this occasion, although it could have been even worse for Ricky Ponting's men after they were 3 for 2 in the third over.

Hussey's second counterattacking innings of the series dragged the hosts back to a vague level of respectability, but they wanted his 93 to be another big century. There was also a late half-century from Brad Haddin but an England attack led by Anderson, who thoroughly deserved his 4 for 51, ensured Australia's worst first-innings total at Adelaide Oval since 1992-93. England faced an over before stumps, and the openers enjoyed a more sedate start than had Australia.

The chaos began with the fourth delivery of the Test, which ran away to square leg off Shane Watson's pad. There was a leg bye on offer but Watson later admitted his call was too quiet for his partner Simon Katich, who hesitated, then took off and was denied the chance to face even one delivery when he was caught short by Jonathan Trott's brilliant throw.

If a diamond duck in the first over was an embarrassing start for Australia, it was only to get worse. Ponting, who looked so fluent in his second-innings half-century at the Gabba, was greeted first ball by a great ball from Anderson, who angled it in and then moved it away from Ponting, whose thick edge was snapped up by Swann low to his left at second slip.

The match was five balls old, Australia were 2 for 0, and the spectators who hadn't yet made it through security at the Adelaide Oval had missed one of the most memorable starts to an Ashes Test. It quickly got even better for England in Anderson's next over, when he sent down a ripsnorter to get rid of Michael Clarke for 2.

Clarke looked horribly out of sorts in Brisbane, and in truth he was unlucky to even get an edge to Anderson on this occasion, as the ball hooped in towards him and then jagged away. Clarke reached forward, trying to smother the movement with a positive drive, and his thick edge was taken at second slip by Swann. Clarke has been working with Ponting in the nets during the week, but emulating his dismissal was not the idea.

It was a wonderful start from Anderson, who bowled well in at the Gabba without luck, and not since an Ashes Test in Brisbane in 1950 had Australia scored so few runs for the loss of their first three wickets. Marcus North and Haddin, who had been settling in for a quiet morning, were frantically searching for bats and pads to prepare for a potentially early entry.

Fortunately for them, Hussey and Watson launched a counterattack. There were a few more nervy moments for Australia - Watson survived an lbw review on 7 and Anderson put down a tough return chance when Hussey had 3 - but the pair got through until lunch unscathed.

However, just as he had in the first session, Anderson struck early in the second, with another good outswinger that drew Watson (51) in to a drive that was taken at gully by Kevin Pietersen. While Hussey kept building at the other end, looking as assured as he did during his 195 last week, Marcus North poked and prodded his way to 26, before a lapse in judgment gave Steven Finn his first wicket.

North tried to open the face and guide Finn past the cordon, only to feather a catch through to Matt Prior. It ended a 60-run stand that was useful, but on a flat pitch this was North's best chance to silence the critics who point to his poor results in sticky situations for Australia. Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus, who were dropped for this Test, know the selectors are no longer willing to carry passengers and North deserves to be nervous.

All the while, Hussey kept finding the gaps, although England's bowlers didn't feed his pull as they had in Brisbane, which was a wise move given the tiny square boundaries in Adelaide. Before the first Test, Hussey's brother David tipped him to be the leading scorer in the series and although not many fans had the same faith, he has been unquestionably Australia's best batsman so far.

But Swann denied Hussey a second century of the series with a magnificent piece of bowling, curving the ball in from around the wicket to entice a cover drive. The ball spun further than Hussey expected, and his edge was snapped up at first slip by Paul Collingwood. Swann was on a hat-trick when he had Ryan Harris lbw first ball; Harris asked for a review, confident he had edged the ball, but Hot Spot was not definitive.

Swann couldn't match Peter Siddle's opening-day hat-trick at the Gabba, but his 2 for 70 was a good reward on a day when he kept one end tight. Neither Finn nor Stuart Broad were at their best, but both claimed a wicket; Broad's dismissal of Haddin, caught at fine-leg for an entertaining 56 ended Australia's innings.

It denied Anderson the chance for a five-wicket haul, which he deserved, but none of the England players would worry about such trifles. They know that with four days to play, on a good surface, the match is theirs for the taking.

Magical memories, but now Australia under scrutiny

2010-12-02T06:07:00.002-08:00

The Big Picture

England fought back to show character and ended up controlling the first Test, but they must build on their hard-won momentum to deliver more pain to the ailing hosts. Andrew Strauss already holds the urn so he has an important advantage in what has turned into a four-game shootout. The equation is simple: Australia must win more games than England to reclaim the Ashes.

Given the state of the sides, a local victory will be hard work in Adelaide. The back-to-back games mean both outfits will have some weary men, and the bowlers face another back-breaking week on a surface that feels like paradise for the batsmen. At the end of the Gabba Test, Ricky Ponting couldn't help but laugh at England's second innings, which finished at 1 for 517. There wasn't much else he could do after watching his bowlers provide fodder for Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott.

It is extremely unusual for the hosts to be under such heavy scrutiny so early in a home campaign, but they must discover some sustained form to win some relief. Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris, the fast bowlers, have been included in the 13-man squad and have been trying to impress in the nets this week. The batting remains unchanged but once again this is an important game for Marcus North, the hit-and-miss batsman, and part-time spinner.

The game here four years ago is still remembered as a nightmare or a magical dream, depending on your allegiance. England entered the final day at 1 for 59, with a lead of 97 and a chance to push for victory. Instead they were rolled by Shane Warne for 129 and Australia sped to a six-wicket victory. England never recovered and the result changed the series.

Form guide

(most recent first)

Australia DLLLW
England DWLWW

Watch out for...

Ricky Ponting was relieved when he was able to leave the Gabba with an unbeaten half-century on Monday. He did enough to show some much-needed form in the Test arena and convince himself he's on target for a huge score. As Australia showed in the first game, they need their captain to fire, and will hope he does it on a ground he loves. Ponting is the leading scorer in Adelaide with 1433 runs, including five centuries and a high of 242, in 14 Tests.

Like Ponting, Kevin Pietersen produced a bright start in Brisbane, with 43 when the conditions were at their toughest on the opening day. Just as he was starting to shine brightly he pushed at Peter Siddle and edged to second slip. Pietersen is desperate for a big contribution and will start at Adelaide sans moustache, which makes him look hungry for runs instead of 1970s fun. The arena is Pietersen's favourite - although that might have changed slightly after his rain rant yesterday - but he has mixed memories from four years ago. He conquered Warne in the first innings with 158, but was bowled trying to sweep on that fateful final day in 2006-07.

Team news

Australia's bowlers are the most nervous groups of players in the country and Mitchell Johnson has already had his card marked unfavourably. Ponting has confirmed Johnson has been dropped from the side after his ineffective performance at the Gabba, with Ryan Harris and Doug Bollinger vying for his place. With a gap of only three days between Tests, the fresh men could provide a huge boost for the already weary side. Expect Bollinger to come in for Johnson, which lengthens Australia's tail, while Ben Hilfenhaus also struggled at the Gabba and will be under pressure from Harris.

Australia (probable) 1 Simon Katich, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Xavier Doherty, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Doug Bollinger.

England's bowlers also found the Gabba pitch tough work but only injury will force them into a change. Steven Finn showed he could extract some extra bounce out of lifeless surfaces, while Stuart Broad and James Anderson also had bright patches. The key for England is to get something out of their highly-rated spinner Graeme Swann, who struggled in the opening game.

England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven Finn.

Pitch and conditions

This will be the first Test in charge for the curator Damian Hough, who has replaced Les Burdett after his four decades at the ground. Hough expects a traditional Adelaide wicket, which means lots of runs and some unpredictable bounce late in the game. "Every year we have been able to produce a sporting pitch," Hough said. "There have been eight results in the last 10 years so I think the characteristics haven't changed." The forecast for the opening day is mostly fine, with a top temperature of 30C, while Saturday's maximum is expected to be 35C.

Stats and trivia

The last time Australia drew at the Gabba, they followed up with a four-wicket defeat in Adelaide. That was against India in 2003-04. England last drew the opening Test of an Ashes tour in 1998-99, which they followed with losses in Perth and Adelaide

After last week's run-fest, when Cook became the highest scorer at the Gabba with his 235, the players will have to do a lot better to beat the ground's high mark. Don Bradman's 299 is the top score, while England's best is Paul Collingwood's 206 four years ago

Two players involved in the match will start it with batting averages of more than 200 at the venue. Brad Haddin's mean is 245 in two Tests, while Collingwood's is 228 after one match.

Australia have won 16 of 29 Tests against England at Adelaide, while the visitors have succeeded on eight occasions. Their last victory there came in 1994-95, when Devon Malcolm and Chris Lewis bowled the hosts out for 156 in the final innings.

Only four of the specialist bowlers in both squads have played Tests in Adelaide. Johnson has played there three times, while Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger and James Anderson have played there once.

Zaheer returns for remaining ODIs

2010-12-02T06:07:00.001-08:00

Zaheer Khan, the India fast bowler, has been included in the squad for the remaining three ODIs against New Zealand after he missed the third Test and the first two ODIs with a groin strain. Praveen Kumar, who missed the first two ODIs with a fever, also made a comeback.

The Indian selectors also gave Suresh Raina a break for the rest of the series following comments by MS Dhoni saying the batsman needed a rest. Sreesanth, too, didn't feature in the squad. Both of them will presumably leave for South Africa early to prepare for the Test series, which begins on December 16.

Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai batsman who was dropped after the tri-series in Sri Lanka in August, is part of the squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs. Rohit is currently representing Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy game against Gujarat in Valsad, which won't finish before the third ODI that will be played in Vadodara on December 4.

Medium-pacer R Vinay Kumar will stay with the team for third ODI, but will be released to play for Karnataka by the time the fourth and fifth ODIs arrive. The only other change in the squad for the fourth and fifth games is Parthiv Patel taking over wicketkeeping duties from Wriddhiman Saha, who might also be leaving for South Africa.

Squad for third ODI: Gautam Gambhir (capt), M Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, R Vinay Kumar.

Squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Gautam Gambhir (capt), M Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Parthiv Patel (wk), R Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma.

Sri Lanka fight back after Nash, Chanderpaul stand

2010-12-02T06:05:00.000-08:00

Only 41 overs of play were possible on the second day at Pallekele, before rain intervened once again to bring a premature end to play. A charged up Sri Lanka made two quick breakthroughs after lunch to even things up after Brendan Nash and Shivnarine Chanderpaul capitalised on a flat Sri Lankan bowling effort and a comical missed run out opportunity in the morning session. Sri Lanka's resurgence in the nine overs after the break had West Indies at 245 for 5 by the time the heavens opened up.

A maiden century beckoned yet again for Darren Bravo as he began the second morning with the same nonchalant aplomb he had displayed for much of the previous day. Dilhara Fernando overpitched in the second over and Darren eased it casually past cover for four, seeming to have lost none of the form or fluency from his overnight 63. But he was out soon after crossing 50 for the third time in four innings this series. Fernando bent one in, off a full length, to rap Darren on the pads and despite the hasty review, Bravo was dismissed for 68.

While Shivnarine Chanderpaul was circumspect in the early exchanges, Brendan Nash didn't take long to come to grips with the pitch, leaning back to slap Fernando behind point to get off the mark before racking up 1000 Test runs with a clip to the leg side after two more boundaries. The runs kept coming at a decent pace for Nash, as he picked the gaps and dispatched loose deliveries, while Kumar Sangakkara strove for wickets with attacking fields. Nash brought up his eighth Test half-century before lunch and was unbeaten on 62 when the weather intervened.

Chanderpaul eventually found his feet against the spinners, rotating the strike efficiently towards the end of the session and leaving the boundary-hitting to his more fluent partner. He was given lbw by the on-field umpire when he missed a reverse-sweep off Herath on 38, but the review showed the ball to be brushing the glove before it hit the fore-arm guard, and the decision was overturned in his favour. Chanderpaul progressed to his first half-century of the series with a bottom-edged sweep off Herath, but was caught spectacularly at slip soon after. He attempted a late dab off Ajantha Mendis, but Mahela Jayawardene was onto it in a flash. Jayawardene dove to his left and plucked the ball one-handed, centimetres from the turf, ending the stand on 99.

Dwayne Bravo fell in the following over to Herath, who made an immediate impact after being kept out of the attack for 58 overs. He had beaten Dwayne's edge two balls prior, but sucked him in completely with a flighted delivery that dipped and turned. Bravo barely had time to register that he had over-balanced before Prasanna Jayawardene had the bails off.

Suranga Lakmal was consistent in his morning spell, but was rarely threatening. He never strayed far from the channel outside off stump, yet was unable to extract enough movement to worry the batsmen. Angelo Mathews, too, was negotiated without fuss by Nash and Chanderpaul, and Fernando was wayward despite Darren's wicket. The double-strike after lunch had the game finely balanced and the teams will be hoping for better weather over the remainder of the match if there is to be any hope of a result.

Arbitrator in BCCI, Punjab case stands down

2010-12-01T08:38:00.002-08:00

The arbitrator in the case between the BCCI and the Kings' XI Punjab, Justice BN Srikrishna, has withdrawn from the case after disclosing to both parties that he represented the Wadia Group, part owners of the KXIP, in many of their cases, in the past.

"I disclosed to the BCCI today that I was defence counsel for the Wadia Group," Justice Srikrishna told ESPNcricinfo. "They said I couldn't continue, I said that was fine with me."

The news comes a day after Srikrishna delivered an interim order in another case involving the BCCI, granting a stay on the expulsion of Rajasthan Royals. He said today's development would not have any bearing on the Rajasthan case. "I will carry on because my association with the Wadias in the past does not concern that case."

Justice Srikrishna was scheduled to begin hearing the Punjab case today, with the hearing set to last three days with provisions for a reserve day. But the board's objection - made before the day's proceedings started - has stalled things.

The irony is that Justice Srikrishna was the BCCI's own choice as arbitrator when both the issues went into arbitration. BCCI president Shashank Manohar told ESPNcricinfo that "he was chosen as we have all our faith in him."

Manohar said they would be challenging Srikrishna's order staying the Rajasthan Royals' termination in the Bombay High Court tomorrow, but said there was a possibility to include more teams in the fourth IPL.

"Honestly speaking, we have nothing against any teams or any of the franchises," Manohar said. "We have just acted based on the advice we have taken from our lawyers over certain matters."

The BCCI chief said the Board was "not at all worried" about the turn of events in the IPL arbitration cases. "We will work it out ... even if there are eight teams or ten teams in the next IPL, that's fine. If we get an order from the court tomorrow that we cannot terminate the teams and they will have to be included in the IPL, that will happen."

Darren Bravo stars on rain-marred day

2010-12-01T08:38:00.001-08:00

Half-centuries from Darren Bravo and Devon Smith took West Indies to 134 for 2 on a rain-affected first day of the first-ever Test at the Pallekele Stadium. Play began in dramatic fashion when Suranga Lakmal removed Chris Gayle with the day's first delivery but only 40 overs were possible in the day. A wet outfield delayed the start of the match, and a heavy burst of rain just after lunch and bad light in the evening contributed to the shortened day.

Darren Bravo continued to impress on his maiden tour, stroking three boundaries to get his innings started. A glide through cover off Angelo Mathews was followed by a controlled edge behind point, before a wristy flick from middle stump in the next over signaled the confidence Darren had gained from his impressive half-centuries in each of the previous matches. The runs flowed either side of the wicket for Darren, with an elegant drive after lunch standing out, as he stood tall to crack the over-pitched delivery through extra cover. He continued assuredly alongside Smith, negotiating the Sri Lanka attack with little fuss for the majority of the day and brought up his third fifty in as many matches with a pair of delicate boundaries off Dilhara Fernando; the first, a late dab through the slips, followed by a leg glance to the fine leg boundary.

Devon Smith made use of some wayward bowling to race to his own half-century after tea, in his first Test innings in almost eighteen months, before he was dismissed by Ajantha Mendis on 55. Smith had played Mendis with assurance until his dismissal, working him comfortably for singles despite the turn on offer and twice dispatching him to the fence when he pitched too full. He punished the quick bowlers as well, glancing Suranga Lakmal for four when he erred down the leg side and crashing a misdirected bouncer from Dilhara Fernando to the wide long-on boundary. The leg-break that has proved so productive for Mendis throughout this tour proved to be Smith's undoing however, as he misread the straightening delivery after Mendis had bowled a succession of offspinners at the batsman.

Fernando was wayward through the day as he struggled to find a consistent length, but created opportunities nevertheless, particularly in the evening. His awayswingers shaved Smith's outside edge on occasions, and even prompted an unsuccessful review from the Sri Lankans, just minutes before the batsman finally fell to Mendis. Bravo then edged Fernando to second slip in his next over, only for Mahela Jayawardene to spill the straightforward chance, reprieving the batsman on 55.

Although the swing and seam movement that Kumar Sangakkara expected when he chose to field was less pronounced than he would have liked, there was considerable turn for Mendis and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Rangana Herath was not bowled today, but the spinners are likely to play a major role as the Test wears on.

Gautam Gambhir, bowlers make 2-0

2010-12-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

Gautam Gambhir's bowlers responded well to his call of bowling first, restricting New Zealand with smart, accurate bowling, and the captain reciprocated with a fluent 138 off 116 balls to make the chase look easy.

Gambhir, capping off a return to form that began with a struggling Test fifty in Hyderabad last month, never let his strike-rate come under 100 once he crossed the mark in the sixth over. He had for company an equally hungry Virat Kohli, who now has two centuries and a fifty in his last three international outings.

Dew, expected later in the evening, was the reason why India put New Zealand in on a cracking surface, but the towels were conspicuous by absence in the second half of the game. Which is what made the bowling effort special.

The pitch played slow and low, and India cut out the pace and the room. There was nothing spectacular done with the ball, just accurate, wicket to wicket bowling for most of the part. Martin Guptill and Scott Styris tried to take New Zealand towards a fighting total with important fifties, but India pulled the visitors back every time they threatened to break free.

New Zealand began with three boundaries in the first two overs, but Sreesanth's late swing removed Jamie How. Guptill and Kane Williamson looked solid but subdued in a 50-run stand for the second wicket. Those runs took 12.5 overs coming - all but seven of those deliveries in the Powerplay.

The duo did little to upset the bowlers' rhythm. Munaf Patel was allowed to hit the same spot again and again, with slight seam movement either way. One of those moved a bit more than expected, and found a way through Williamson's bat and pad, taking the top of off. The pressure showed when Ross Taylor went to hit Yusuf Pathan's first delivery for a six, but found deep midwicket.

Styris came out in the 25th over with the score yet to reach three figures, and cut out the unproductive balls, taking singles with ease and finding timely boundaries. When he and Guptill asked for the Powerplay in the 35th over, R Ashwin responded with a carrom balls to remove Guptill. That set New Zealand back by a couple of overs.

Styris and Daniel Vettori had to take some time set up another charge, but Sreesanth pegged them back again. Like he did in the first match of the series, Sreesanth came back for a new spell in the 46th over, and took two wickets with his first two deliveries. He ended a threatening ninth-wicket partnership in the last game, and got rid of Styris and Vettori this time.

New Zealand opened their defence with Nathan McCullum, presumably to get through some overs of spin before dew appeared, and immediately troubled M Vijay, who struggled to come to terms with the slowness of the pitch.

Gambhir, however, was playing in a different world. He timed almost everything sweetly except for a couple of inside edges that went for fours. Against Kyle Mills, he walked down the pitch on a couple of occasions to create the driving length. When Mills pitched slightly short, he cut him away. The driving between mid-off and extra cover stood out.

By the end of the eighth over, Gambhir had scored four times Vijay's eight, taking India to 40, and putting Mills out of the attack. Against Styris he made room and went over extra cover. Andy McKay strayed too straight, and was clipped for four into the leg side. There was not a hint of power; the short back lift emphasised how well he timed the ball.

Vijay continued his patchy innings until he tried a premeditated slog-sweep off Vettori in the 18th over, and was bowled. Gambhir, though, had reached 54 off 48 by then, out of India's 87, and looked set to carry India through. A crucial moment came in the 22nd over when Gambhir's bat got stuck into the ground as he tried to slide it in, but Vettori failed to collect the throw cleanly and Gambhir was let off.

Every time Gambhir needed quick runs, he made room and went over extra cover. Kohli batted like he was never dismissed in Guwahati, pulling powerfully wide of long-on, and punching square for most of his runs. Over by over, the 116-run partnership brought the asking rate down, until it read 4.3 for the last 13 overs when Kohli found short midwicket with a pull shot.

It was a distraught batsman that left the wicket, 36 short of a third straight century, which was possible with 56 still required. His captain and a senior back in Delhi, though, was there to see India home and continue their unbeaten home season.

Innings	Dot balls	4s	6s	PP1	PP2	PP3	Last 10 overs	NB/Wides

New Zealand	156	20	4	40/1	22/0	33/1	79/4	0/6
India	128	29	1	52/0	25/0	-	19/0(41-43)	0/8

PCB committee submits report on Haider

2010-11-29T07:44:00.000-08:00

Pakistani officials submitted a report on Monday into former wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider's dramatic escape to London, abandoning his team ahead of a match with South Africa, the cricket board said.

The 24-year-old fled the team hotel in Dubai on the morning of the fifth and final one-day against South Africa on November 8, claiming he received death threats from unknown people to influence the results of matches.

After flying into London, Haider retired from international cricket and sought asylum in Britain.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) terminated his contract and formed a three-man committee, headed by team manager Intikhab Alam, to establish the facts surrounding Haider's disappearance.

The committee finalised and submitted its report to the PCB, the PCB said, declining to make any further comment on Monday.

Team security manager Khawaja Najam and PCB official Subhan Ahmed were the other two members of the committee.

On Sunday, Haider posted a message on Facebook, threatening to name several players in the next five days who took money to fix matches.

His family in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore have told local media that they received death threats.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said its anti-corruption staff met Haider in London and offered support to the former wicket-keeper.

Haider faces severe punishment for violating ICC ethics by not telling the council he was asked to influence match results for money.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt says the Board's decision on the Haider affair will be based on the committee's report.

Several former players criticised Haider for merely trying to get political asylum in Britain.

Eye-catching moments of 1st Ashes Test

2010-11-29T07:42:00.000-08:00

Happy to get first win as skipper: Gambhir

2010-11-29T07:41:00.000-08:00

India's stand-in cricket captain Gautam Gambhir was happy to have a win under his belt in his first One-day international as a captain here on Sunday.

"Leading the first side and to get the first win under your belt is very satisfying. Everyone chipped in and Virat (Kohli) went on to score a big one. I am happy with the team's effort. We also would have bowled first on this wicket as there was a lot for the bowlers," said Gambhir, after leading India to a 40-run win over New Zealand at the Nehru Stadium.

"So the game plan was to just stay there and try not to lose too many in the first ten overs. As a captain, I am taking one game per time. I would like to say that Ashwin bowled brilliantly. Nehra and other bowlers too bowled well," Gambhir added.

Man of the Match Kohli, who hit 105, wants to continue in the same fashion throughout the series.

"It feels good. I went out there and continue my form . HOpefully I can continue in the next few games. I had a kind of a lean patch in Sri Lanka recently; the team-mates and coach backed me. I would like to thank them. I try to probably stop myself if I feel like playing a big shot and enjoy the singles. I have been lucky that we have had strike players in the other end. My role is to bat long and put the team in a good position," he said.

New Zealand's stand-in captain Ross Taylor said it was the inability of the bowlers to take early wickets that did them in.

"We wanted some early wickets but (Murali) Vijay and Gambhir batted well. Also Virat Kohli. We couldn't take early wickets as they did to us. Disappointing result. Martin Guptill batted well but we lost 3-4 wickets. Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum got us close but Virat had played well and I think took the game away from us. Hopefully we can pick ourselves up and play well in the next game,"

Virat Kohli India's max run-getter in 2010

2010-11-29T07:39:00.000-08:00

Last June, Virat Kohli became the fastest Indian to aggregate 1000 runs in one-day internationals, reaching the milestone in just 24 innings. On Sunday yet again he proved just why he could become an invaluable player in India's World Cup plans as he hit his second successive ODI ton, becoming only the seventh Indian to do so.

With his second straight hundred that earned him his fourth Man of the Match award, Kohli joined the ranks with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma.

If the Delhi lad gets to the three-figure mark in the second ODI in Jaipur on Wednesday, he will become the first Indian to get three successive ODI hundreds and also be within striking distance of getting 1000 runs in a calendar year.

The batsman has now aggregated 866 runs in 21 games in 2010, the most by any Indian batsman this year. Among all batsmen only three - Hashim Amla (1058), AB de Villiers (964) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (921) – are ahead of Kohli.

Kohli's fourth ODI hundred on Sunday also took him past former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu as the Indian batsman with the highest aggregate after the first 33 innings.

In just 33 ODI innings, Kohli has aggregated 1350 runs at an average of 46.55. Sidhu previously held the record with 1271 runs.

Strauss and Cook reignite contest If Australia needed any convincing about England's resilience they were given a day-long example as Andrew Strauss a

2010-11-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

If Australia needed any convincing about England's resilience they were given a day-long example asAndrew Strauss and Alastair Cook hit magnificent centuries to give the visitors a golden chance to save the opening Test in Brisbane. The openers added 188 and when Strauss departed for 110, the challenge was taken up by Jonathan Trott, who helped Cook put on a further 121 for the second wicket. Cook ended unbeaten on 132 and England held a lead of 88 when bad light closed in.

While few expected England to fold in a heap - they rarely do these days - even fewer would have expected a stumps score of 1 for 309. However, inspired by their captain the tourists set about showing they'd learnt the lessons from their poor first innings and gave Australia a day of toil in the field to match what England had suffered on Saturday. There is still time for the home side to force something on the final day, but nothing in their bowling in this innings has suggested they have the firepower to succeed.

Strauss's 19th Test hundred, and fourth against Australia, arrived from 184 balls when he late cut Xavier Doherty and his aggression against spin was a key part of the innings. He knew England couldn't block their way to safety, and often used his feet to advance and loft down the ground. Strauss's century celebration was unusually emotional; it hadn't been the easiest start to the series after his first-morning failure and this was another example of England's spirit. The stage was set for him to make it a massive hundred, following Hussey's lead, but he was beaten in flight by Marcus North and couldn't regain his ground, stumped by Brad Haddin.

Cook reached his landmark with a rasping cut shortly after tea and this match has been an emphatic response from somebody who still had his fair share of doubters coming in to the tour. Shortly afterwards he gave a tough chance to Peter Siddle at fine leg off a top-edged pull, but Siddle couldn't quite hold on as he dived forward. Trott was also given a reprieve, on 34, when Michael Clarke's valiant attempt at point failed as the ball slipped out of his finger tips and this time Siddle was the bowler to suffer.

England's opening pair ticked off a few records along their way, including the visitors' highest stand at the Gabba and the best opening effort by any touring team in Brisbane. They also became England's most prolific first-wicket duo in Test cricket, although the record was diluted somewhat as they have played more than twice as many innings as the Jack Hobbs-Herbert Sutcliffe pairing they overtook. But that was a minor point in the bigger picture of England trying to claw their way back into the match, which they did with an impressively aggressive approach. The time-runs equation could be vital in the end.

Having survived a first-ball review yesterday evening, Strauss gave a commanding display, punctuated with his favourite cuts and drives. However, he was given a significant let-off on 69 when Mitchell Johnson, in the midst of a torrid match, spilled a relatively simple chance at mid-off when Strauss tried to loft Doherty down the ground. There was another moment of alarm when he misjudged a pull on 88 which looped over point then an edge flew between the slips to take him to 96, but Strauss will feel England were owed a little luck.

The clearest sign that Strauss's game was in top order came from his shots through cover, which were a hallmark of his dashing start to Test cricket back in 2004. He latched on to Ben Hilfenhaus and Shane Watson when they over-pitched, while waiting on the back foot for anything short. Though the ball was only 15 overs old when play resumed there was very little assistance for the quick bowlers and Johnson, who was the fourth option used by Ricky Ponting, resorted to trying a bouncer-attack at Strauss, but a slow pitch nullified the threat.

Cook showed the same application as he had in the first innings after an early alarm when he sliced a cut between third slip and gully. Most of his other 10 boundaries came out of the middle and he even showed the cover drive, which is rarely seen from him these days. Initially, Cook outscored his captain but normal service was resumed as he dug in but he never became flustered and ticked the scoreboard over. He hacked Doherty through midwicket then cut him for three to move to 97 but had to spend the tea interval sat two short of his hundred, although didn't have to wait long. It was the first time since 1938 that both England openers had hit Ashes hundreds in the same innings.

After Strauss's aggression towards spin brought his demise, Trott began in positive fashion, which meant the scoring didn't seize up. He carried England into the lead with an elegant cover-drive off the struggling Johnson and he ensured two set batsmen were ready to face the second new ball when it came at the beginning of the final session.

Once again a crucial period loomed but Cook and Trott were equal to the challenge. Hilfenhaus found some swing and there were the two tough chances, yet it wasn't quite the threat everyone expected. In a sign of desperation Ponting used up his last review when Trott padded up to Hilfenhaus, but the ball was easily missing off stump and Trott's fifty soon followed as he tucked into Johnson's wayward offerings. This Test has had too many twists to think the final day will be plain sailing, but if England can hold their nerve it will be another in their recent history of incredible rearguards.

Zimbabwe comfortable with 'underdogs' tag

2010-11-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

It used to be that Zimbabwe carried the tag of 'underdog' into their engagements with every Test nation, bar Bangladesh. In the last five years, however, the two teams have moved in opposite directions and those roles have been well and truly reversed.

Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe for the first time in Harare in March 2004, but Zimbabwe went on to win that rain-ravaged series 2-1 and it was not until Bangladesh's first Test victory over the Zimbabweans, at Chittagong in January 2005, that the worm really turned.

New, leading his team to Bangladesh for their fourth bilateral series against them in less than two years, Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura insists he is comfortable to let the hosts carry the burden of being singled out as favourites for whom anything less than a convincing series win will be deemed a failure. "Definitely they [Bangladesh] are playing well at home. We are the underdogs but we just need to play our best cricket," he said.

"Bangladesh played well against a better team recently, so they are expected to win. So we are not under pressure. All we have to do is play good cricket and concentrate on our own team and not focus too much on what Bangladesh is doing -the focus is our team. I just need to carry off from where I left off the last time I was here. I will be positive, the team will be even more positive this time; hopefully we will play good cricket and win games."

Similarly, Zimbabwe's coach Alan Butcher conceded that a buoyant Bangladesh, having just handed New Zealand a 4-0 thrashing, will be tough to beat at home but a measure of Zimbabwean success is far from unthinkable. "We will approach every game with the intention to win and if we do that well enough indeed we will win the series," he explained. "I am not going to sit here and promise that we will win this series because Bangladesh will be feeling pretty confident as well. As we went to South Africa we did not really feel we would win the series but it is a lot different here in Bangladesh."

The Zimbabweans' warm-up for this series was the Stanbic Bank 20 Series, a week-long Twenty20 tournament featuring the five domestic franchises - each with several overseas players on their books. Prior to that, in October they travelled to South Africa where, despite losing every game, there were signs of positive development; particularly from the batsmen.

"We got some good reviews from our performances in South Africa," said Butcher. "However we did not win any games and we have come here to play some good cricket and win some games. We've prepared well and taken a look at the conditions and it is going to be totally different from those in South Africa and we have prepared for them as well."

Zimbabwe, for several years ostracised from mainstream international cricket, have become very used to playing Bangladesh in the last half-decade. They have met in no less than nine series in that time, with Bangladesh winning all but one of those. Despite their abysmal win record in those encounters, both Zimbabwe's captain and coach insist that the experience gained over the years will stand the team in good stead - and the current tour will only help preparations for next year's World Cup.

"So far it is pretty comfortable," Butcher said of his team's adjustment to the tropical conditions. "It is warm in Zimbabwe at the moment, so heat should not be a problem. A lot of the guys have played here before -the likes of Elton [Chigumbura], Prosper [Utseya] and Ray Price who have been here before. This is their sixth visit and they have plenty of experience playing here. Dew and humidity may be a factor but we are going to deal with any eventuality."

"I don't think the conditions have changed much here as I have been here plenty of times," added Chigumbura, who has played 37 international matches against Bangladesh. "I just need to use the experience I have gathered and use it properly. We expect that [slow, low pitches] here and the guys are working on it in the hope that it will come right during the games as well. It will be good to play here to prepare ourselves for the World Cup."

Though Zimbabwe were crushed 4-1 the last time they visited Bangladesh - including the humiliation of being skittled for just 44 to surrender the series in the fourth ODI at Chittagong - bowling coach Heath Streak believes they are a much improved unit and are eager to show just how far they have come.

"We played a lot between now and then and we had a good series at home against Sri Lanka and India and quite a competitive series against South Africa," said Streak." Of course we have Chigumbura and Taibu and Taylor who are all in really good form. We also have some good spinners so they will also plan to see how they play our spinners better. We are going to respect them but we are also here to prove that we are getting better and we deserve to get back into the Test arena."

"It will be a factor in how people perceive Zimbabwe cricket," Butcher responded when asked if a series win would be a boost to Zimbabwe's return to Test cricket. "Should we win the series after Bangladesh demolished New Zealand, people will have to sit up and take notice and respect Zimbabwe cricket and feel that it is on an upward path again."

Kohli and Ashwin set up comfortable win

2010-11-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

Virat Kohli's first century batting first, his fourth overall and second in a row, set up an eventually comfortable win for India, who are yet to lose an international in the current home season. India did lose their way in the last 10 overs of both innings. They lost their last six wickets for 26, and were given anxious moments by a 67-run ninth-wicket stand between Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum.

Gautam Gambhir, leading India for the first time, soothed the nerves when 41 runs were needed in five overs with a lovely catch running backwards to remove McCullum. R Ashwin provided reasons why he can replace Ravindra Jadeja in the Indian line-up in the longer run with the big wickets of Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor. Ashwin showed he could be an attacking option, operating inside the Powerplays, bowling big offbreaks, and slipping in the carrom balls. With the asking rate climbing, he got his wickets regularly.

The pitch had little of the early-morning demons it is famous for, and all the Indian batsmen got starts. Kohli wasn't as flashy as the others, but only he converted the start. Not flashy didn't equate to not quick in his case. Just that he hit only 10 boundaries in his 104, as opposed to Yuvraj Singh's seven in 42, Gambhir's six in 38, and Murali Vijay's five in 29. And Kohli ran hard. And he placed the ball well, creating opportunities to run hard.

It took Vijay and Gambhir a couple of overs of caution to realise this was an easier pitch than the one that had them at 27 for 5 in the last ODI here. Vijay started off by cover-driving what was called a no-ball for four, and then pulling the resultant free-hit for another. Gambhir matched him in aggression, charging at the bowlers, creating his own driving length, and getting two fours off Daryl Tuffey in the sixth over.

Inexplicably, though, Vijay switched from classical shots to a slog that ended his knock in the eighth over, with the score at 44. Eight overs later Gambhir flirted with what would have been called a wide, and perished with India 92 for 2.

Yuvraj took time getting started. India's run-rate dipped below six as he scored seven off his first 28 balls. Then he started timing well, hitting boundaries at will. By the time he fell to Tuffey's remarkable knack of picking up wickets in the first overs of new spells, India were 179 in the 35th over. Unnoticed, Kohli had reached 63 off 73.

Unlike the others, Kohli didn't need periods of dramatic acceleration, nor did he need time to settle in. The only hiccup was the big shout for an inside edge from Kyle Mills. There was a sound, but no deviation. If we were not sure after watching replays, it is fair to assume the umpire couldn't have been either.

Soon Kohli started finding gaps, using his wrists to play into the on side. The pull to cow corner off deliveries not really short remained his favourite shot, getting four of his boundaries. Upon Yuvraj's dismissal, he did take charge, but didn't seem to make any drastic change, getting 42 off the last 31 balls he faced.

Kohli hit two boundaries in the 90s. The Powerplay had been taken, and it had to be made use of. The celebration upon reaching the century was representative of the growth of Kohli the batsman. There was no anger in his reaction on making the landmark, unlike in the past. He just had the smile on, enjoying the moment, more sure of his place. That the century would come seemed just as sure.

Andy McKay and Mills, though, were fantastic in the Powerplay, bowling the slower bouncers - and the quicker ones - well. McKay, in particular, got the ball to leave the right-hand batsmen from round the stumps. When Martin Guptill beginning the chase with five boundaries in the first six overs, it seemed New Zealand had shifted the momentum.

Ashish Nehra responded by shortening his length, getting Jamie How's wicket with one that got a bit big. Gambhir introduced Ashwin early, and the bowler delivered. He beat Guptill in the flight, getting him to hit straight to the deep fielder, signalling a start of a period where India choked the run flow.

The accurate Munaf Patel, and the spinners - Ashwin and Yuvraj - hardly bowled a bad ball for the next hour or so, and Taylor had to take his chances against Yusuf Pathan, hitting back-to-back sixes in the 23rd over - a pull and a slog-sweep.

However, the asking rate read 6.4 even after that over. Gambhir immediately brought back Ashwin, and New Zealand had to now attack Yuvraj, who was bowling well. A middle-overs collapse ensued, and when Taylor fell to another carrom ball in the 32nd over, he had left the tail too much to do for too long.

Innings	Dot balls	4s	6s	PP1	PP2	PP3	Last 10 overs	NB/Wides

India	160	33	1	58/1	32/0	38/2	58/7	1/8
New Zealand	151	20	5	46/2	11/0	31/2	41/2	0/3

Another rain-hit day ensures draw

2010-11-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

In a game that contained several fine performances; Kemar Roach's fiery opening spell, Kumar Sangakkara's dazzling century, Darren Bravo's valiant 80 and Rangana Herath's final-day burst - it was the rain that proved to be the definitive factor in the second Test at the Premadasa Stadium. The teams were left to squabble over the psychological advantage in the final two sessions of the match - perhaps the only meaningful thing that hadn't been washed out by the Colombo weather , and the fifth day's play included a West Indies lower order collapse, an adventurous declaration by Kumar Sangakkara, as well as an intense period of spin bowling.

Sri Lanka mopped up the remaining West Indies first-innings wickets in less than two hours in the afternoon, but not before a composed half-century from Carlton Baugh took the visitors well past the follow-on target, effectively removing any chance of a result. Baugh successfully challenged two lbw decisions that initially went against him - the first one off Ajantha Mendis' first delivery of the day, which replays showed to have pitched outside the leg stump, and then off Herath, whose offbreak was missing the stumps, in the course of boosting the West Indies to 243, along with the tail.

Herath continued to toss the ball up despite being slammed by Dwayne Bravo for a six and a four in his first over of the day, and reaped the rewards in his second. Bravo advanced, attempting to repeat the fireworks of the previous over, but was completely foxed by the flight. Prasanna Jayawardene made no mistake behind the stumps.

Darren Sammy did little to quell fears that his position in the team may be unwarranted with a three-ball two, and Herath removed Sulieman Benn and later, Baugh - albeit after a brief resistance - to ensure that he remained in contention for the starting XI for the third Test that starts on Wednesday.

The Sri Lanka batsmen made a solid start in the evening session against a West Indies attack that lacked intensity, perhaps in light of the stale state of the Test match. Several of Tillakaratne Dilshan's trademark flashes outside the offstump found themselves rocketing to the fence before he was dismissed by Dwayne Bravo, and Kumar Sangakkara made a surprise declaration soon after, with his side 201 runs ahead and too little time left in the day to realistically push for a win.

The ploy paid off for the hosts, however, as they put pressure on the West Indies top order with ten overs of testing bowling, and gained a psychological upper hand going in to the last Test of the series. Dilshan was particularly impressive in his five over spell, varying his lengths to perfection as he tormented them with bounce and turn. Both West Indies openers were dismissed before bad light put an end to play - Adrian Barath falling to an Ajantha Mendis googly, and Chris Gayle offering a simple slip catch off Dilshan, leaving Sri Lanka the more confident of the two sides heading to Pallekele.

New Zealand test for new-look India

2010-11-27T08:46:00.002-08:00

The Big Picture

This is the last opportunity for the two teams to play one-dayers in Indian conditions, before the World Cup. In that regard, this is an important series for them to get their combinations right, ahead of the big tournament.

India's stand-in captain, Gautam Gambhir, and Suresh Raina will want some runs for themselves, but it's the comeback of Yusuf Pathan that will be closely monitored. He was touted to be the answer to India's search for a big-hitting allrounder in the lower order in ODIs, but never quite managed to replicate his IPL success on the international stage. And later, even in the IPL, his weakness against short-pitched deliveries was exposed. He was released from the ODI squad and has now returned after scoring some big runs in the domestic circuit. All eyes will be on him as he could be a tremendous asset, considering the World Cup is in the subcontinent. But does he have the game to do it? This New Zealand series will let us know. It will also be an important series for R Ashwin, the offspinner.

Usually, teams sport a settled side in Tests and experiment with young players in the ODI team. New Zealand does the opposite. Right from the John Bracewell-era they have been a better ODI outfit than a Test one and have an experienced squad for this series. Six of the seven replacements, that include the likes of Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, and Kyle Mills, are in their 30s. Jamie How, 29, who had a pretty decent outing in the Champions League held in South Africa in September, makes a comeback after nearly two years. New Zealand started the Test series short of confidence but ended it with enhanced reputations.

Form guide

(most recent first)

India: WLWLW

New Zealand: LLLLL

Watch out for...

Ross Taylor had a pretty average Test series. He got starts but rarely carried on. He has the game to turn it around quickly and he will be the key player in the middle-order in the absence of Jesse Ryder.

Ashwin has impressed many with his performances in pressure situations in the IPLs. It was a puzzle why his IPL captain MS Dhoni hasn't given him more breaks in the national team. Ashwin's time seems to have come now. Can he capitalise? He has the carom-ball and several other variations, but does he have the discipline over his stock ball?

Pitch and conditions

This will be the last international game to be played at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati as the Assam Cricket Association is building a new ground on the outskirts of the city, which will host all future international games. The curator Sunil Barua copped a lot of criticism after the last ODI played on the ground, when a dicey pitch let Australia dismiss India for 170. "This is the best wicket I've ever made. It will suit batting," Barua said this week. "All I can say is it will be a lively and sporting wicket. There will be a good total if a team bats the full quota of overs." Barua said that he had given the pitch a top-dressing with special clay collected from outside to ensure less wear and tear. Dew is likely to play a role as there will be an 8.30 am start.

Teams

James Franklin has replaced Jesse Ryder and Ashish Nehra, who cleared a fitness test, was brought in for Praveen Kumar, who is suffering from fever.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Jamie How, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Kane Williamson, 7 Daniel Vettori (capt), 8 James Franklin/Nathan McCullum, 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Daryl Tuffey/Andy McKay

India (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Yusuf Pathan 7 Saurabh Tiwary, 8 Wriddiman Saha (wk), 9 R Ashwin, 10 Vinay Kumar/Munaf Patel, 11 Ashish Nehra.

Stats and trivia

Scott Styris is one of the seven New Zealand batsmen to have scored over 4000 runs in ODIs.
New Zealand have won only six out of their 16 completed games in 2010, and have lost their last six consecutive games.
Nehra averages 30.52 in the ODIs but does a lot better against New Zealand against whom he averages 22.47 from 16 games. His economy-rate too climbs down to 3.87 (his career rate is 5.12)

Quotes

"Honestly I'm not thinking about the World Cup at the moment. I don't want to lose focus and don't want to think much. The idea is to stay pressure-free. My job now is to perform in the first two matches."

Wriddhiman Saha wants to stay in the now

"Bangladesh was a pretty disappointing series. We are looking to take things forward. We want to perform as we should and hopefully come out with a series victory. For me, I want to cement the allrounder's spot."

Kirsten to depart early for SA

2010-11-27T08:46:00.001-08:00

Gary Kirsten, India's coach, will accompany the players who are to leave early for South Africa so they can acclimatise for the upcoming tour. Eric Simons, India's bowling coach, will take over the coaching duties for the final two one-dayers against New Zealand as Kirsten heads home.

"He [Kirsten] will leave early along with first bunch 8-10 players," a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. Among the players departing are captain MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat. It is also likely that Suresh Raina will be rested for the final two one-day games of the New Zealand series, and will join the players who are departing early, after Dhoni publicly expressed concern about his workload during the third Test against New Zealand.

Kirsten and seven of the players will leave on December 6, while Dhoni and Harbhajan will join them two days later, with Raina also likely to leave on the same flight.

The players will initially train at Kirsten' cricket academy in Cape Town before moving to Johannesburg to join the rest of the squad, which will arrive in South Africa on December 12, two days after the New Zealand ODI series ends. The three-Test series begins at Centurion on December 16.

The Indian board had recently granted permission for some of the players to leave a week in advance, after Kirsten made a request for them to do so. The coach felt that in the absence of India not playing any warm-up matches before the first Test, it was imperative players be sent early to get used to the conditions. Kirsten had sent in his request earlier this year, stressing to the board that the players needed time to acclimatise and also adjust to the pitch conditions in South Africa. However, the board took months to consider the request, mostly because of any potential objections the broadcaster might raise about devaluing the New Zealand ODI series, before giving permission earlier this month.

"We have a lot of work still to do on the specifics of technique prior to the Test series. The players will need time to adjust their techniques to get comfortable with the conditions," Kirsten said. "The BCCI has approved the early departure of some our players to South Africa to have sufficient time to prepare properly for a very important series."

Hussey and Haddin put Australia in command

2010-11-27T08:42:00.000-08:00

Michael Hussey and Brad Haddin wrote themselves a place in the history books with a monumental 307-run partnership as Australia took a firm grip on the opening Test in Brisbane. The mammoth stand was a record for any wicket at the Gabba and steered the home side towards a formidable lead of 221 as Hussey hit a career-best 195. Following hours of toil, Steven Finn provided England a late boost with a career-best six wickets, but it's a huge task for them to avoid beginning their Ashes defence with defeat.

Facing a tough hour, Andrew Strauss survived a huge appeal lbw first ball when he padded up to Ben Hilfenhaus and Ricky Ponting asked for a review but it had been correctly ruled to be heading over the stumps. However, it was a heart-in-mouth moment for Strauss, who was on a pair until he tucked a single to square leg. He and Alastair Cook fought hard to get through to the close, yet it's only the start of what has to be a huge rearguard and at least two batsmen need to follow the lead of Hussey and Haddin.

Their stand will go down in Ashes folklore and finished second to the 346 added by Don Bradman and Jack Fingleton in 1936-37 in Australian partnerships against England. Hussey played like the man who dominated world cricket for three years after his debut before the lean time that brought his career into doubt. He reached his 12th Test century off 197 balls and celebrated with a huge release of raw emotion. It meant consecutive Ashes hundreds after his futile 121 at The Oval in 2009, but this one has given his team a huge advantage and has put to bed any debate about his place in the team.

Haddin's innings was his finest at Test level because of the way he adjusted his game to weather an early barrage from the new ball before blossoming towards a 222-ball hundred, which he reached with a straight six off Graeme Swann. He was given a life on 63, with Australia just 39 ahead, when Cook spilled a tough chance and another on 113 when James Anderson dropped a top-edged pull as England's fielding showed a few cracks - a bit like the Gabba surface - before eventually being well caught at slip to end the visitors' 93-over wait for a wicket.

Finn then nipped in for a commendable six-wicket haul, but the pick of England's attack by a mile was Anderson, who somehow went wicketless during a brilliant morning burst in a period of play that is likely to define this Test. On 82, Hussey was given lbw by Aleem Dar, but instantly called for the review and was correctly reprieved as the ball had pitched outside leg stump. Then another shout, with the batsman on 85, was stone dead only for Dar to say not out as he heard two noises - which proved to be both pads - yet England had no reviews left themselves.

Anderson wore a rueful smile, and shared a few words with the batsmen, but continued to have the ball on a string with a succession of unplayable deliveries. The opening 10 overs of the day went for just 13 runs and the first boundary didn't arrive until Haddin drove Finn straight after 50 minutes play.

That was a signal for Haddin to play a few more shots, having had to battle against his natural instincts to repel the early barrage. He late cut Finn through gully then drove Anderson on the rise over mid-off as Australia closed in on England's disappointing 260. Anderson finished an eight-over spell at the cost of 14, but it was the perfect example of when statistics don't even tell half the story.

Haddin's aggression took Australia into the lead and Hussey moved through the 90s when he used his feet against Swann in the offspinner's opening over. Moments later, Hussey had his landmark and the ground went wild with similar ferocity as greeted Peter Siddle's opening-day hat-trick.

England's story of near-misses continued when Cook couldn't quite back-pedal under a high catch offered by Haddin as he drove aggressively at Paul Collingwood's first delivery. The importance of Haddin's innings can't be overstated because if the lower order had been exposed to the new ball England would have sensed their opportunity.

The pitch was still good for batting, but the widening cracks and hint of occasional balls disturbing the surface emphasised the importance of the lead. After lunch, the pair put their foot on England's throat with dominant batting as the visitors became increasingly forlorn. A problem for Strauss was that Swann remained below his best and was comfortably picked off by Hussey and Haddin.

They ticked off a host of records including the 276 added by Bradman and Lindsay Hassett against England in 1946 as the best stand on the ground, which was brought up with an inside edge past the stumps by Haddin off Anderson, and also into second place for Ashes sixth-wicket partnerships. After two wicketless sessions, thoughts turned to whether Australia would declare in the evening, but that decision was taken out of Ponting's hands as England showed resilience.

Swann pushed one across Haddin from around the wicket and Collingwood showed sharp reflexes, then Hussey was removed five short of a maiden Test double when he miscued a pull to deep midwicket. It had been a profitable shot throughout the innings and he left to another standing ovation.

Mitchell Johnson had been padded up all day and couldn't get off the mark during an uncomfortable 19-ball stay before he missed a drive and Siddle was early on a pull which he gloved to slip to give Finn his third five-wicket haul. Xavier Doherty (16) suggested he can provide useful runs down the order until handing Finn his sixth as the last five wickets fell for 31. England's bowlers did a good job against top and bottom of Australia's, but one magnificent partnership dominated the innings.

'Modern cricketers should be grateful to Kerry Packer'

2010-11-26T05:27:00.000-08:00

I migrated from India to Pakistan in 1961. It was a family decision. My older brother had already shifted to Pakistan. I had been making a name for myself in Indian cricket, but I was confident that I would be able to further my cricketing ambitions in Pakistan as well. I encountered no difficulty in settling down in Karachi.

My uncle was the former Indian offspinner Ghulam Mohammad. He was not the only cricketer in the family. Many of my other uncles also played first-class cricket.

My big hundred in the Oval Test of 1967 was crucial for my career. When Pakistan were eight wickets down for 70-odd on the fourth day, there was talk of a 40-over match to entertain the crowd. That motivated me.

Javed Miandad is my favourite cricketer. He is the most gifted batsman I have seen, He had amazing self-belief and could take on anyone.

I was wrong to put West Indies in to bat in the 1979 World Cup semi-final on an excellent batting track. That decision probably cost us a spot in the final.

From 1964 to 1967 I was primarily a bowler who could also bat a bit. I opened the attack and batted mostly at No. 8. The roles were reversed after the 1967 tour of England.

My innings of 120 in the 1976-77 Sydney Test was my finest batting performance, as it played a major role in Pakistan's first Test win in Australia.

Joel Garner was the most difficult bowler I faced. It was extremely difficult to pick his length because of his great height.

Before the 1967 England tour I developed a back problem. I knew I could no longer play just as a bowler, so I was determined to do well with the bat. In the first Test, at Lord's, my 76 helped Pakistan avoid the follow-on and draw the Test.

My greatest disappointment was not being able to deliver as Pakistan captain.

When I was named the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1968, I didn't know such a thing existed.

Playing for Kent from 1968 to 1982 was a great experience. I played with a number of stars, including Colin Cowdrey, Alan Knott, Derek Underwood, Mike Denness and Bernard Julien among others.

Pakistan suffered so many narrow losses in the early 70s because we were not used to winning: Leeds 1971, Melbourne and Sydney in 1972-73, and the World Cup 1975 tie against West Indies. The players got excited and failed to concentrate on the job at hand.

Mushtaq Mohammad was the best Pakistan captain I played under. He was not only a shrewd tactician but also moulded a talented bunch of players into a single unit. He inculcated a winning mentality in them.

During my county career, in the winter months I worked for Thomas Cook. I arranged supporters' tours for sports events.

My stand of 190 with Intikhab Alam at The Oval was a world record for the ninth wicket. That brought me instant fame and cemented my place in the Pakistan team. It also got me a mention in Wisden. I was promoted to the middle order and received offers from quite a few English counties.

Pakistan's performance improved with every England tour I made with them. This was because a number of Pakistanis had joined the county circuit in the late 60s and early 70s. The experience honed their skills and made them professional. So in the 1975 World Cup, Pakistan were one of the favourites.

I was twice overlooked for the captaincy when Intikhab Alam was removed - in 1972-73 and in 1976-77 - despite being his deputy both times. At the time it didn't bother me since my only passion was playing. But in hindsight I was hurt because I always thought I was being groomed for the big job. Still, I had the honour of captaining my country in the first two World Cups.

I led Kent to the joint county championship in my first season as captain, in 1977. But the next season I was removed from captaincy because of my contract with Kerry Packer. I captained them again in '81 and '82 but didn't have any success because by then I had retired from Tests and wasn't as enthusiastic. The wound of being unfairly removed after 1977 had not fully healed too.

My best bowling performance was 5 for 48 in Wellington in 1964-65. I took 18 wickets in three Tests in that series.

My only Test series as captain was against India in 1979-80. We were beaten by a better side. The umpiring was not up to the standard in a couple of Tests but overall India played better and deserved to win.

I was the coordinator for the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) in Sharjah. I knew what it was like to play for no money, and later for substantial amounts. I felt those who had played before my time deserved better lives. I requested Abdul Rahman Bukhatir to start a series that would monetarily benefit retired cricketers. During the initial years only subcontinental cricketers were nominated, but later cricketers from other countries also benefited from the CBFS.

Present-day cricketers and administrators should be grateful to Kerry Packer for not only making cricket a better paid game but also for the innovations he introduced. Even playing in county cricket didn't give you as much. Playing in the Packer Series made us better cricketers, as we played with and against great cricketers. I feel proud to have led the Rest of the World to victory in the Super Tests and one-dayers against Australia and West Indies.

I was the 100-metre sprint champion at school and college, which helped me become one of the fastest runners between the wickets.

Before I joined the English county circuit, I was an amateur. Experience on the circuit made me professional: my behaviour, thinking, eating and sleeping habits all changed. And because of that I played more useful innings for Pakistan in the latter part of my career.

The 1978-79 India-Pakistan Test series was significant for Pakistan cricket. India-Pakistan cricketing ties had been revived after 18 years. It was a period that saw two wars between the two countries. For the first time, matches were televised live all over Pakistan. And there were those two nailbiting wins for us in the last two Tests. All this made cricket the national passion.

I was often called a man for a crisis. Pressure situations brought the best out of me. When you are playing in a team sport, your role is to help the team win - or not lose. Most of my big scores came when trying to save or win matches for Pakistan.

CBFS ended due to a number of reasons. India and Pakistan started playing each other more in other parts of the world. And the increasingly crowded cricket calendar made it harder to have three or four teams, including India and Pakistan, playing in Sharjah. The interests of the administrators, especially Bukhatir, moved to new ventures like private television Yes, there were also allegations of match-fixing during Sharjah games, and the ECB set up an investigation team, but they didn't find any evidence.

I served as an ICC match referee for many years and also as an ICC ambassador to promote cricket in associate countries. In those days the appointment was from tour to tour. Nowadays it is a full time job.

My long career with Kent made me fall in love with the county, and I decided to settle down here. I am an honorary life member of Kent, as well as of the MCC.

Being an optimist is my best attribute.

Eden Gardens and the SCG are my favourite grounds. They have awesome atmosphere and huge crowds.

Twenty20 cricket is still evolving. Though it does not have much to do with cricket in pure technical terms, it is the demand of the industry. And cricket is an industry. It has already become the most popular format with the new generation and has even lured the ladies to grounds. It has all the makings of being the future. But I, personally, don't want to see that day.

These days I work as a sports coordinator with ARY Digital, a popular Pakistani TV channel, in their London office.

The IPL is supplementing this new phenomenon of Twenty20: money before cricket. There is more talk of rupees and dollars than runs and wickets.