Sri Lanka v England, 1st Test, Galle, Day2

Sri Lanka 318 (Jayawardene 180, Anderson 5-72) and 84 for 5 (Swann 4-28) lead England 193 (Bell 52, Herath 6-74) by 209 runs

Rangana Herath exposed England's failings against spin bowling once more as Sri Lanka took a firm grip on the first Test in Galle. Seventeen wickets fell in the day as the batsmen of both sides struggled to play the turning ball and set up the prospect of a three-day finish.

The match is not over. England's bowlers - excellent as ever - fought back with five wickets in the evening session but a first innings deficit of 125 should prove decisive on a surface that is expected to deteriorate. Sri Lanka had stretched that lead to 209 by the close despite a four-wicket haul from Graeme Swann. But, bearing in mind England were dismissed for under 200 four times in the UAE and they have never made more than 253 at Galle, it becomes apparent that Sri Lanka have established an overwhelmingly dominant position.

England's old troubles against spin came back to haunt them once again as they were bowled out for 193. Rangana Herath, a tidy left-arm spinner, tore through the tourists' top order with six for 74, while off-spinner Suraj Randiv claimed two for 26. It meant Sri Lanka's spinners had claimed eight for 100 between them and had earned their side a first innings lead of 125. While England avoided the ignominy of following-on - a distinct possibly when they were 92 for 6 - they still have a mountain to climb if they are to avoid their fourth successive Test defeat. On a pitch that is expected to deteriorate, conceding a first innings lead of such magnitude should prove decisive.

While in the UAE England came up against a top spinner with a bag full of tricks, here there were no such excuses. Herath is a worthy cricketer, certainly, but he offers none of the mystery of Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal. Herath gained little turn, bowled at a gentle pace with modest variations and received only grudging assistance from the surface. For much of the time it was, to borrow an expression from the political world, like being savaged by a dead sheep.

Yet it still proved too much for England. Perhaps mentally disturbed by their experiences in the UAE, several batsmen missed straight balls or played back when they should have been forward.

There were exceptions. Ian Bell, the one specialist batsman to offer any meaningful resistance, was bowled by a beauty that drew him forward, turned and clipped the top of off stump.

But generally, England will reflect that they surrendered their wickets rather too cheaply. Andrew Strauss missed a sweep to a non-turning half-volley, Jonathan Trott came down the pitch and missed with a horrible swipe across the line and Matt Prior, squared up and back when he should have been forward, gave the ball time to turn and trap him on the back leg.

Samit Patel's maiden Test innings ended when he, again back when he should have been forward, missed an arm ball and Stuart Broad's counterattack was ended when he missed another sweep. The sight of Trott, flat on his back with his wicket broken after he came off second best in a clash with Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper, Prasanna Jayawardene, as he struggled to regain his ground summed up the balance of power.

Herath was well supported by Sri Lanka's seamers, too. Alastair Cook was trapped on the crease by a fine delivery that nipped back from Suranga Lakmal, while Kevin Pietersen played-on off the inside edge as he tried to push at a good length ball from Chanaka Welegedara, bowling around the wicket.

Bell, at least, offered a glimpse of hope for England. Adopting a positive approach, he timed the ball beautifully and had the confidence to hit over the top when the opportunity allowed. He contributed more runs in this innings than he had in the whole Test tour of the UAE.

He enjoyed one moment of fortune. Sweeping the off-spin of Suraj Randiv on 41, he hit the ball hard but straight at the short-leg fielder who deflected it back to the wicketkeeper; Bell survived as the ball had hit the fielder's protective helmet.

England's tailenders also put the pitch - and the bowling - in perspective. Broad thumped 28 out of a seventh-wicket stand of 30, launching into a series of pulls, cuts and drives off Lakmal, while James Anderson, Graeme Swann and even Monty Panesar also put the efforts of the top order to shame. The ease with which Anderson drove, swept and even reverse swept boundaries spoke volumes not just for his improvement as a batsmen but the failure of his top-order colleagues to take advantage of a blameless pitch and a worthy but hardly fearsome attack.

Earlier Anderson claimed his first five-wicket haul in a Test in Asian conditions as England dismissed Sri Lanka for 318 early on the second day. It took only 6.3 overs for England to claim the two wickets they required to finish off the Sri Lankan innings. Anderson claimed them both, producing a well disguised off-cutter that crept through the sizeable gap between Chanaka Welegedara's bat and pad before Mahela Jayawardene's superb effort was ended by a fine delivery in the channel outside off stump that held its line and took the edge of the bat. Anderson finished with 5 for 72; the 12th five-wicket haul of his Test career and his third outside England.

New Zealand v South Africa, 2nd Test, Hamilton, Day 2

New Zealand 185 & 65 for 4 (Williamson 41*, Steyn 2-10, Philander 2-21) trail South Africa 253 (de Villiers 83, Gillespie 5-59) by three runs 

New Zealand closed out day two in a state similar to their position the previous evening, struggling to compete with an opponent they had dominated in passages of play, but allowed to charge back emphatically in others. That the hosts are not yet doomed is thanks to Mark Gillespie, who at 32 and after three years in the wilderness was a vexing selection for Hamilton, but produced a staggering burst of pace, movement and luck to decimate South Africa's middle order and finish with 5 for 59. But AB de Villiers' 83, a cameo from Morne Morkel, and Vernon Philander's now vicious routine to New Zealand's top order undid all Gillespie's work, and left the hosts with four second-innings wickets down, still trailing by three, and a daunting climb to prevent their second successive loss inside three days at Seddon Park.

New Zealand had had South Africa reeling at 88 for 6 in reply to their own 185, but could not maintain the intensity, as de Villiers shepherded the lower order with an effortless innings that made the chaos that came before seem outlandish. The ease of his progress betrayed the flatness of the surface that had browned considerably - the tawny pitch appeared unrecognisable from the green tinged surface that had been unveiled on day one. de Villiers made 63 with Mark Boucher for the seventh wicket, before continuing the recovery alongside Philander and Morkel - the latter took charge following de Villers' ill-fortuned demise to add a further 34 with last man Imran Tahir, giving the visitors a 68-run head start in the second dig. The last four wickets had cost New Zealand 165.

The hosts then dug themselves further into the mire, when Rob Nicol, Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill fell in the first five overs of their second innings. Nicol, perhaps, was unlucky - a bunted short ball dribbled off the bat, down his leg and onto the stumps - but McCullum and Guptill were out to the same stroke, falling away to the off side as they attempted a clip off the pads. McCullum missed entirely and was caught in front, while Guptill couldn't control the shot and found short midwicket.

Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson attempted a recovery, blunting the new-ball movement and negotiating Tahir's first spell on a wearing pitch to add a sedate 57. But they were tested again, when the ball began to reverse late in the day, and Taylor could not dig out a hooping yorker from Dale Steyn that struck him in front.

Although New Zealand had dismissed Graeme Smith and nightwatchman Steyn the previous evening, South Africa's beginning to day two augured a day of toil, with Hashim Amla and Alviro Petersen settling gradually into their innings. Chris Martin and Doug Bracewell found a hint of movement in the air, but little off the pitch, and though their opening partnership was tight, it posed few penetrative threats to the overnight pair.

But just as Amla began to add attractive scoring strokes to solid defence, Gillespie stung South Africa in a four-over salvo and transformed the outlook of the visitors' innings, and for a while, the match.

Amla was removed first, a thick edge from an attempted square drive flying low to backward point. Jacques Kallis then experienced the extremes of fortune in Gillespie's next over. He top edged a short ball past fine leg for six, before glancing one down the leg side, only to turn around to see Kruger van Wyk celebrating his wicket. In the next over, Gillespie's movement off the seam trapped Petersen lbw. Jacques Rudolph completed the quartet with a regulation edge, ending a seven-over period that yielded four big scalps for 25 runs.

de Villiers meanwhile, had few issues timing the ball and working the field as New Zealand's supporting cast failed to match Gillespie's penetration. South Africa's recovery was slow at times, but assured, under de Villiers and Boucher, who helped the side through to lunch.

Boucher's dismissal completed Gillespie's five-wicket haul, but de Villiers was unfussed, as he called on one-day nous (shuffles across the crease to work the ball to the leg side, downward dabs to third man ...) to keep the larger share of the strike, and minimise his fast-bowling team-mates' exposure to tight New Zealand bowling. Ten boundaries, mostly through the off side, punctuated a steady stream of singles and twos, as de Villiers oversaw the eclipsing of the hosts' total, and edged his side ahead.

Morkel had hit three confident boundaries before de Villiers departed lucklessly - when a forward defence to Vettori spun back onto his stumps - and ratcheted up the tempo in the company of Imran Tahir, dispatching Gillespie for three successive fours upon the bowler's return to the crease. Tahir wasted little time in matching Morkel's ambition, though most of his 16 came from edges over or past the slips. The pair added an adventurous, and often fortuitous, 34 for the final wicket, before Williamson ended the innings with his third ball of the match.

At stumps Williamson was unbeaten on 41 - his first substantial batting contribution of the series - alongside Vettori, unbeaten on nought.

New Zealand v South Africa, 1st Test, Dunedin, 2nd day

New Zealand 243 for 9 (McCullum 48, Vettori 46, Taylor 44, Philander 4-50) lead South Africa 238 (Amla 62, Smith 53, Rudolph 52, Martin 4-56) by five runs

A gripping second day of Test cricket at the University Oval in Dunedin left precious little separating the teams, with New Zealand five runs ahead of South Africa's 238, with a wicket in hand. New Zealand's top order battled swing bowling of the highest quality before lunch and aggressive short pitched pace after it, but could not definitively wrest the advantage, as South Africa prised wickets at regular intervals.

No New Zealand batsman crossed fifty, though Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor and Daniel Vettori all came close, with 40s to their name. Taylor and McCullum had survived a brutal encounter with Morne Morkel after lunch, but could not apply themselves long enough to consolidate, while Vettori fell to a brilliant low take from Jacques Kallis on his follow through.

Vernon Philander rarely strayed a few inches from off stump in his first spell of the day, and was rewarded with the wicket of Rob Nicol, who had struggled on debut. Philander finished the day with 4 for 50 - another performance that will embellish a growing reputation as one of the most exciting seam-bowling finds in recent memory. Morkel finished with two, having peppered McCullum and Taylor with as hostile a spell they are ever likely to encounter, while Steyn will feel he bowled better than 1 for 71 suggests.

Martin Guptill and McCullum may have thought they'd blunted the worst of South Africa's assault in the hour before lunch, but the interrogation continued well into the afternoon session, as Morkel unleashed a ferocious spell once movement began to dwindle for his team-mates. The slower Dunedin track had hampered Morkel prior to lunch, but a return to the crease with renewed vigour yielded immediate results, as Guptill was late on a defensive stroke, and tested the mettle of New Zealand's most experienced batting pair.

A smattering of welts on Taylor's arms, chest and shoulders will let him know he has been in a fight. He wore several in his first exchange with Morkel - two on the fingers, one on the ribs and two more glancing blows just below the helmet grille. Edges deflected off the body, landed short of the slips or flew just wide. Though New Zealand had done well to lose only one wicket to an artful hour of swing and seam bowling in the first session, they were now examined gruffly with the next weapon in South Africa's armoury.

Though clearly intimidated, Taylor and McCullum refused to be shaken. While Morkel was often unplayable, the runs started to tick at the other end when Philander's impeccable line began to waiver. Movement from earlier in the day had all but disappeared, and the drives down the ground that had grown more profitable became New Zealand's favoured currency.

But as has been the case so many times in their careers McCullum and Taylor's belligerence proved to be their downfall. Having battled through two terrific spells from one of the world's finest attacks, they aggressed too early, and too mindlessly, just as consolidation beckoned. Their 65-run association was broken when McCullum attempted to sweep Imran Tahir hard against the turn, serving up a high top edge, before Taylor chased a wide one and was caught behind. He'd already hit two fours in the over.

Vettori mounted a familiar recovery alongside Kruger van Wyk, working the South Africa attack square of the wicket with so little fuss his team-mates' innings seemed grating by comparison. Sweetly struck boundaries to the cover point fence and the swivel pull shot to the leg side were as productive as ever, pushing Graeme Smith to deploy four men on the fence - the most defensive field across both days of the Test.

Debutant van Wyk meanwhile was steady and organised. South Africa's pacemen towered over him, and Morkel gave him the perfunctory working over - but if van Wyk was intimidated, there were few signs. The back foot defence gave was his favoured reply to the seamers, but he was equally adept against spin - picking Tahir better than most in the order, and even tickling him fine with the occasional paddle sweep.

Vettori was eventually undone by indecision, as he was cruising towards a fifty that would have been New Zealand's first of the innings, when Jacques Kallis dived low on his follow through to snaffle a half-hearted bunt. Doug Bracewell then joined the resistance - showing the kind of batting prowess that has earned him three first class fifties, but hasn't yet been evident at the top level. He put on 41 alongside van Wyk, ensuring first his defence was in order before attempting the more expansive strokes - five of which brought him a boundary, as New Zealand edged towards the first-innings lead.

van Wyk and Tim Southee fell in quick succession to the second new ball, as Philander embellished an already-menacing career average. But Bracewell was good enough to edge his side ahead, before losing his off stump to Steyn.

The first session lacked the drama of the two to follow, but Steyn's new-ball partnership with Philander was unlucky to have only gleaned one reward. In bright sunshine, Steyn found the movement in the air that had eluded New Zealand's bowlers under cloud cover the previous day, after South Africa's tail added 47 to the overnight score before being finished off.

Steyn beat both opener's edge repeatedly and emphatically, with Philander doing the same at the other end - he did it with his pinpoint line and movement off the seam. McCullum and Guptill were forced to call on every sinew of expertise to ensure survival, and they hobbled to lunch, at 40 for 1, only to be bombarded by Morkel when play resumed.

India Vs Australia 4th Test at Adelaide Day2 Cricinfo

Suffer early jolts after Ponting & Clarke help themselves to a double century

“Enough is enough!” the cry rang out at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.

It was from a mother to a whiny son, who wanted another popsicle, in addition to the two he had crammed in his mouth, but the plea could well have been from India to Australia.

All series, Australia has mercilessly collared India, plundering runs, plucking wickets, and on the second day of the fourth Test, ‘dead' as far as the series is concerned, the hosts continued their authority, allowing the tourists no more than a snivel in protest.

First Australia ran up a score of 604 for seven declared. There were double-hundreds for Ricky Ponting (221) and Michael Clarke (210), who were involved in a fourth-wicket partnership of 386, a record for any wicket here at the Adelaide Oval. The declaration allowed Australia 21overs of bowling; the contest, comatose till afternoon, came alive.

PRESSURE

What would India's batsmen make of a pitch that had flattened even more after Tuesday? And how would Australia's bowlers do without assistance for the first time the series? Both questions will be answered in greater detail on Thursday, but from Wednesday's play, this much can be ventured: how they deal with scoreboard pressure, the weight a massive first innings exerts, and how long they can delay errors in batting will decide the fate of India's batsmen; Australia's bowlers, unless they can convince the ball to swing reverse or turn and bounce, will be able to do no more than ‘bowl dry' i.e. test the batsmen's patience.

Virender Sehwag looked as if he might bed down for a big one — his bedding down, consisting not of studied defence and self-denying leave-alones, but of slapping at least a four every over. He even received a reprieve when Ed Cowan, at mid-wicket, clapped clanging hands on a stinging flick off Ben Hilfenhaus.

But Sehwag, who had said before the match that he believed his (and his batsmen's) “time was bad”, found further evidence to substantiate his faith.

Peter Siddle, who has made a habit of striking in the first over of a spell, gave the Indian captain a full-toss that should have been postmarked to Bowral. Instead Sehwag contrived to bunt it back to the bowler, making his stroke far too early, an opened-up, hunched leading-edge, if you will. Siddle had sufficient athleticism to leap to his right and take it one-handed.

DRAVID CASTLED AGAIN

In walked Rahul Dravid, down the steps that have recorded his 233 in stencilled paint, but this was not to be a repeat of 2003-04. For the sixth time in seven innings, he turned around to find his stumps disturbed. Again the back-foot didn't move from leg-stump. As a result he leant with his upper body, front foot not sufficiently covering the line. Hilfenhaus' delivery deviated slightly and bounced, passing between bat and pad, glancing off the elbow onto the stumps.

This was a worrying dismissal. Both his defensive technique and his mind, such strengths of his, appear to have deserted Dravid suddenly; he certainly commanded both in England, where he made three centuries.

Gautam Gambhir (30 batting) and Sachin Tendulkar (12 batting) ensured India ended the day better than it had begun it, but much work remains. They and those that follow them will need the skill, the run-hunger, and the fortune of Ponting and Clarke, who it seemed would never get out.

The Australian pair added 65 in the first hour, Ponting 27 to his overnight score of 137, Clarke 35 to his 140. They split eight fours. Any thoughts India might have had of an early, balance-altering wicket — Sehwag began that way, three slips, gully, point (not deep point) — soon vanished.

Clarke became the first captain to make a triple-hundred and a double-hundred in the same series before Umesh Yadav bowled him off the pad with a break-back in the over after lunch.

Ponting brought up his double-hundred as well, but he pulled Zaheer Khan to deep square-leg to depart. He had had two ‘lives', a caught-and-bowled chance that looped on Ishant Sharma, who didn't get his hands down, and chip off R. Ashwin to V.V.S. Laxman at mid-wicket. The first occurred on 186, the second on 215.

Neither detracted from a magnificent innings, which just edged Clarke's for stroke-making if not virtuosity.

Gambhir had an inspired moment at silly-point when he ran out Michael Hussey. But Brad Haddin and Ryan Harris made sure it would be a declaration, not a dismissal, that would end Australia's innings.

It couldn't come soon enough for India's bowlers.

Scoreboard

Australia — 1st innings

E. Cowan c Laxman b Ashwin (62b, 3x4) 30

D. Warner lbw b Zaheer (23b, 1x4) 8

S. Marsh b Ashwin (12b) 3

R. Ponting c Tendulkar b Zaheer (404b, 21x4) 221

M. Clarke b Umesh (275b, 26x4, 1x6) 210

M. Hussey (run out) (33b, 3x4) 25

B. Haddin (not out) (66b, 1x4, 2x6) 42

P. Siddle c Saha b Ashwin (15b) 2

R. Harris (not out) (51b, 2x4, 1x6) 35

Extras (b-3, lb-17, w-8) 28

Total (for seven wkts. decl in 157 overs) 604

Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Warner), 2-31 (Marsh), 3-84 (Cowan), 4-470(Clarke),

5-520 (Hussey), 6-530 (Ponting),7-533 (Siddle).

India bowling O M R W

Zaheer 31 4 96 2

Umesh 26 1 136 1

Ashwin 53 6 194 3

Ishant 30 6 100 0

Sehwag 16 0 55 0

Kohli 1 0 3 0

India — 1st innings

G. Gambhir (batting) (56b, 4x4) 30

V. Sehwag c&b Siddle (18b, 3x4) 18

R. Dravid b Hilfenhaus (9b) 1

S. Tendulkar (batting) (43b, 1x4) 12

Total (for two wkts. in 21 overs): 61

Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Sehwag), 2-31 (Dravid).

Australia bowling

O M R W

Harris 6 2 18 0

Hilfenhaus 6 1 21 1

Siddle 3 0 13 1

Lyon 5 2 9 0

Clarke 1 1 0 0

South Africa Vs Sri Lanka 3rd Test at Centurian Day2 Cricinfo,Live Score,Highlights

Lunch South Africa 453 for 4 (de Villiers 84*) v Sri Lanka

There was a sense of déjà vu as the action unfolded on the second morning at Newlands. Sri Lanka were systematically deflated in the pre-lunch session, raising visions of a nightmarish day, such as the one India had endured a few hours earlier in a different part of the world. Like Michael Clarke in Sydney, Jacques Kallis strolled inevitably to a double-century in front of his home crowd. Like in Centurion, where he had scored his only previous double-ton in December 2010, Kallis had AB de Villiers for company when he reached the landmark. Back then, de Villiers had smashed the fastest century by a South African. This time he was on the verge of a more sedate but equally assured ton, though Kallis succumbed to boredom at the stroke of lunch.

Sri Lanka began the day against two world-class batsmen, under bright sunshine, with the pitch at the flattest it is likely to be over the course of the Test. As if to reiterate their woeful position, five of the first 12 balls sped to the boundary. Two of those were outside edges from de Villiers that ran through a sparsely populated slip cordon, but Sri Lanka couldn't have been blamed for not having too many catchers. The three other boundaries were vintage Kallis strokes, unfurled seemingly for the benefit of those who may have missed the first day's action - the sumptuous cover drive, the violent pull in front of square, and the coaxed on-drive that gained speed as it bounded down the ground.

Sri Lanka had their rare moments, but weren't alert enough to make them count. Dhammika Prasad got one to take Kallis' edge as it moved away off the seam, but Mahela Jayawardene couldn't hold on to a regulation take at second slip. That was in the third over of the day, and by the time the second chance came, Sri Lanka were down to just one fly slip. Angelo Mathews produced a nifty legcutter that reared up alarmingly and jumped away, though it was delivered at a speed of just 121 kph. Kallis fended and got another edge, but Jayawardene couldn't reach it as he dived desperately to the left.

The fields were spread out, but the runs flowed generously all the same. Sri Lanka managed only two maidens in the session, and the first one left Welegedara pleasantly surprised as Kallis shouldered arms six times. Their plight was epitomised by a breath-taking stroke from de Villiers off Mathews. The ball landed short of a length, well outside off stump, with the field set on the off side. Only mid-on, deep backward square leg and deep midwicket patrolled the leg side, and de Villiers tagetted the gap at wide mid-on by skipping across audaciously and whipping against the angle.

A robust cut and another punched drive through mid-on took Kallis through the 190s, and he brought up the double by chopping Perera through point. Just as murmurs of a first 300 by a South African batsman began to do the rounds, Kallis lost his concentration and gifted Rangana Herath his wicket with a feeble lofted drive. That breach gave Sri Lanka some heart after Herath had got a few to spin and bounce sharply. de Villiers and the lower order, though, will be keen on keeping them on the field for the bulk of the day.

India Vs Australia 2nd Test at Sydney Day2 Cricinfo,Live Score

Ponting's 134, Clarke's 251* demoralise India

Australia 4 for 482 (Clarke 251*, Ponting 134, Hussey 55*) lead India 191 by 291 runs

Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting have prior form in shattering Indian spirits at the SCG. Four years ago, they conspired to steal victory during a mad quarter hour late on the fifth day, when Clarke was handed the ball by the captain Ponting and took three wickets in an over. This year, they tortured India more slowly, with a partnership that lasted the best part of six hours and all but ensured Australia could not lose the Test.

Of course, since Kolkata in 2001, nothing has ever been truly certain in Tests between these two countries. But the drought-breaking century from Ponting - his first in nearly two years - and Clarke's maiden Test double-hundred steered Australia into the kind of position from which it would take a Kolkata-like comeback to rescue India. They would need something very, very special.

The Sydney crowd had already witnessed the exceptional, from Clarke and Ponting. By stumps, Clarke was unbeaten on 251, having batted through the day, and it was not out of the question that he could become the first man to score a Test triple-century at the SCG. Michael Hussey had chipped in with 55 not out and Australia's lead had ballooned to 291, with six wickets in hand.

Clarke's innings was mature and mesmerising, but it was Ponting's hundred that had really brought the crowd to life. Ponting had been starved of a Test century in his past 33 innings, and for the first time since the early days of his career had faced pressure to justify his place in the side. At no stage during his slump did he give up. It was somehow appropriate for a man who had fought so hard over the past few months that he was dirty and dishevelled when his hundred arrived.

The milestone came via a quick single, a poorly-judged one too, for a direct hit from Zaheer Khan at mid-on would have had Ponting run out for 99. He dived to make the crease and climbed up off the ground - the most fitting metaphor imaginable - with helmet askew and dirt all down his shirt and trousers. It was a sight that brought smiles from Clarke and even the umpire Ian Gould, and importantly from Ponting himself.

Amid all the debate over his form and his position in the side in recent months, Ponting had maintained that he was batting well. In this innings, he was. There were several classic Ponting pulls and his flicks through the leg side were a feature of his game. To some degree, he eschewed the typical Ponting back-foot drives through the off side, though that in part came down to the lines India bowled.

It was not until the second new ball arrived that Ponting departed, caught at point for 134 when he drove Ishant Sharma. Ponting walked off to a standing ovation, having joined his catcher, Sachin Tendulkar, and Jacques Kallis as the only men to have scored 40 Test centuries. His 288-run stand with Clarke, the highest fourth-wicket partnership ever compiled against India in Test cricket, had demoralised the visitors.

More was to come from Clarke, who had brought up his 18th Test century, and his fourth in his past 11 innings, with a perfectly placed cover-drive for four in the last over before lunch. His double-century arrived from his 284th delivery with a flick through square leg off Zaheer, and it brought a kiss of the helmet and a tear to the eye of Clarke, who is in his first home summer as Australia's full-time captain.

Clarke scored his runs all around the ground, with cover-drives, off-drives, clips off the pads, pulls, cuts, lofts over the infield against spin - perhaps the only thing he didn't attempt was a reverse-sweep. He was seeing the ball so well that he was able to walk across his stumps and down the pitch to turn good balls from the fast men into opportunities to score through the leg side. By stumps, he had the best score by an Australia batsman in an SCG Test, and needed 37 more to beat Tip Foster's record for all-comers.

To cap it all off for Australia, Hussey joined in late in the day with some quick runs, including two consecutive fours followed by a six off R Ashwin. It was an immensely disheartening day for India, who could manage only one wicket throughout the day after 13 had fallen on the opening day. There were no-balls from the part-time offspinner Virender Sehwag, strange field placements from MS Dhoni and a general lack of spark, which was to be expected by the end of a long, hot day in the field.

In the first couple of overs of the morning, Dhoni had a man back at deep square leg when he needed to be on the attack, and later he removed all of his slips while Umesh Yadav was bowling, seemingly a concession that all he could do was try to slow the run scoring of Ponting and Clarke rather than try to get them out.

He can be rest assured that Clarke won't be as defensive in the field when he gets his chance. Unfortunately for Dhoni, that might be a while off yet.

South Africa Vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test at Durban Day2 Cricinfo,Live Score

Tea South Africa 100 for 3 (Amla 52*, de Villiers 23*) trail Sri Lanka 338 (Samaraweera 102, Chandimal 58, de Lange 7-81) by 238 runs

For the second day in a row, Sri Lanka performed well above expectations to leave South Africa in some discomfort at tea in Durban. The centerpiece of their improved show in Monday was Thilan Samaraweera's dogged innings, which stretched to three-figures today morning as Sri Lanka reached their highest Test score in South Africa. After that, their quick bowlers lifted their game, striking thrice early though they didn't have much movement to work with.

South Africa still had two of their most bankable batsmen in the middle - Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers - and they rescued the home side with a 73-run stand over the course of which they became increasingly assured. Their efforts built on those of 21-year-old fast bowler Marchant de Lange, who capped off a bountiful year for Test debutants with a seven-for, the third-best figures by a South African in his first Test.

South Africa's openers calmly dealt with the handful of overs before lunch, but things went awry after the break. Two overs into the session, Jacques Rudolph continued the trend of batsmen throwing away their wickets, by helping a short ball on leg stump to deep-backward square leg. Graeme Smith followed minutes later, as he fished at a ball without footwork at a Chanaka Welegedara delivery to give wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal his first Test catch. It got a lot worse in Welegedara's next over as Jacques Kallis edged to slip to collect a rare Test duck, leaving South Africa at 27 for 3.

de Villiers survived an early shout for lbw, but both he and Amla was solid after that. Amla, in particular, showed his wide range of whiplash shots through the off side - there were several punches through cover for four and the point boundary was peppered as he pounced on the wide deliveries offered.

Sri Lanka also helped by delaying the introduction of Dilhara Fernando, supposedly their pace spearhead, till the 23rd over - as the fourth change bowler. With South Africa on the mat at 45 for 3, Sri Lanka instead used the far easier medium-pacers of Angelo Mathews.

When Fernando was finally brought on, he didn't prove too much of a threat, again feeding Amla's strengths around point as the batsman lashed three boundaries in an over to cruise towards his half-century. de Villiers was more subdued but he too had little discomfort as the track remained flat and easy-paced.

The benign nature of the surface was showcased in the morning as well, when Samaraweera and Rangana Herath defied the bowling for more than an hour. Samaraweera was 14 short of his hundred overnight, and was in no hurry to reach the landmark.

Herath, in contrast, swung at everything, including some comical yet effective flat-batted swipes against the hulking fast bowlers. Morne Morkel came closest to a breakthrough in the first hour, as he had Herath caught and bowled only for the replays to show he had overstepped. Even the supremely successful Dale Steyn couldn't make inroads, as he went wicketless for the first time in a completed Test innings since 2008.

Samaraweera got to his century soon after drinks, pushing the ball towards cover for two, before exuberantly celebrating the milestone, pretending to shoot at someone in the dressing room. Herath was also enjoying himself, with consecutive boundaries, both confident steers past cover point as Sri Lanka moved to 335 for 7.

de Lange finally gave South Africa something to smile about as Herath top-edged one of his carefree pulls. The end was swift after that - a de Lange snorter that was far too good for a No. 10 resulted in Chanaka Welegedara lobbing a catch to short leg, and Samaraweera followed soon after, holing out to extra cover as he searched for quick runs to bring the innings to a close on 338.

Sri Lanka have provided a strong challenge for five sessions, but there's still plenty of hard work ahead if they are to extend South Africa's poor recent run at Kingsmead.

Australia Vs India 1st Test at Melbourne Day2 Cricinfo,Live Score,Highlights

India 3 for 214 (Tendulkar 73, Dravid 68*, Sehwag 67) trail Australia 333 (Cowan 68, Ponting 62, Zaheer 4-77) by 119 runs

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Sachin Tendulkar was foiled yet again in his pursuit of a 100th international century, as Peter Siddle atoned in the final over for an earlier no-ball that reprieved Rahul Dravid, on another absorbing day of the first Test between Australia and India at the MCG.

Driven largely by Tendulkar's stand of 117 with Dravid, India reached a threatening 3 for 214 in reply to Australia's 333, but cursed the loss of Tendulkar for 73 on the stroke of stumps. Only a handful of overs had passed since Dravid had been bowled by Siddle and handed another start after Marais Erasmus' check revealed a front-foot transgression.

Australia's fielders gnashed their teeth over the incident and had struggled in the field, as catches went down and the captain Michael Clarke's resources were stretched by the absence of a fifth bowler. But Tendulkar's exit gave them cause for some hope for the third morning.

Tendulkar's serene innings in Dravid's company had wrestled the day India's way, following a second session speckled with incident. That period of play was capped when James Pattinson splayed the stumps of Virender Sehwag, whose streaky but entertaining 67 took him past 8000 Test runs. Sehwag gave two clear chances and another near enough to it, making merry until Pattinson was rewarded for a sustained and hostile spell in the lead-up to the tea interval. The bowler had earlier crossed swords with Sehwag in an ill-tempered confrontation over the matter of right of way while running between the wickets.

Pattinson stood clearly above the rest as the most demanding member of Australia's attack, showing a fiery countenance as well as speed and movement, but the limitations of the rest were exposed on a pitch now friendly to batsmen. Siddle was punished early before his late rally, and Ben Hilfenhaus used the new ball with intelligence, disposing of Gautam Gambhir, but later faded.

He, Hilfenhaus and Pattinson had all hung around in the morning to build the hosts' total. Zaheer Khan claimed Brad Haddin and Siddle to return deserved figures of 4 for 77, while R Ashwin accounted for Hilfenhaus and the last man Nathan Lyon. Umesh Yadav did not add to his three wickets on the first day, while Ishant Sharma will bowl far worse for better returns than his 0 for 48 in 24 exacting overs.

Siddle and Haddin resumed against a refreshed India on a brilliantly warm and sunny day, and were not long in facing difficulty. Zaheer gained swing one way and seam the other in the day's second over with the still-new ball, and Haddin was bereft. He edged one delivery to the third man fence, either side of failing to cover, then snicked another low to gully where Virender Sehwag held it.

Haddin asked Sehwag if the catch had carried, and there was a further delay as the umpires checked for a possible no-ball, but eventually Australia's wicketkeeper was marching off, before many at the MCG had even settled into their seats. Siddle and Pattinson resisted momentarily, before Zaheer found another precise delivery to catch Siddle's edge as he pushed from the crease.

Hilfenhaus announced himself with a slap to the cover fence. He added a hairy edge over the slip cordon and an improbably commanding lofted drive down the ground, both off Zaheer, to push the total past 300. The impressively upright and correct Pattinson followed up by punching Ishant Sharma splendidly down the ground, helping his confidence but also indicating that the surface was becoming rather more pleasant for batting than at any stage of day one.

Smart stats Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar have put together 20 century stands in Tests, which is the most, four more than the next best. Dravid has been involved in 88 century stands in Tests, and Tendulkar in 84. Those are the two highest in Tests; Ricky Ponting is next with 82. Virender Sehwag became the 23rd batsman, and the fifth Indian, to go past 8000 Test runs. This was Sehwag's 53rd fifty-plus score, of which only eight have come at a strike rate of less than 70. Tendulkar has gone 18 innings without a century in international cricket, but he has seven fifties during this period. Australia's total of 333 is only the eighth time a team has posted a triple Nelson score in the first innings of a Test. The last time a team won a Test with this total was way back in 1906.

The duo reached drinks together, adding a pesky 27 in all before the introduction of Ashwin brought a Hilfenhaus heave to long on. Pattinson connected with a handful of further decent blows before Lyon was bowled around his pads. Sehwag and Gambhir negotiated a brief spell before lunch. Ed Cowan, Australia's debutant and top scorer on day one, was unable to field for a time due to back soreness, his place taken by Daniel Christian.

When the players returned, Sehwag and Gambhir struggled initially against the seam and swing of Hilfenhaus and Pattinson. A Sehwag edge off Pattinson burst through the hands of Michael Hussey in the gully - a chance that should have been held. Tempers were raised when Pattinson and Sehwag passed closely beside one another as the batsman took a run, resulting in a heated exchange that also drew in Siddle and had Sehwag pointing the senior bowler back to his fielding post.

The confrontation deflected momentary attention from Gambhir, whose best touch has been missing for most of 2011. Here he scratched around for three runs in 23 balls, the last of which was a shortish, seaming delivery from Hilfenhaus that Gambhir edged forlornly behind with an open face. Dravid arrived with the ball still new and Sehwag not yet into stride.

Quietly, the pair established themselves, offering due deference to some wholehearted bowling and accumulating runs in ones and twos before any great flurry of boundaries could be sought. The 15th over was reached before Sehwag opened up, twice stroking Siddle to the offside boundary, then repeating the trick by crashing Lyon to the sightscreen off successive balls to pass 50 from a sedate - by his standards - 59 balls. The next delivery brought a miscue and a quarter-chance to long on, where David Warner may or may not have reached the ball before it touched the turf.

Pattinson drew another chance from Sehwag's flailing bat when an edge behind was turfed unattractively by Brad Haddin, and it appeared India would reach the interval without further loss. But Pattinson's fire and persistence were justly rewarded in the moments before tea, with another freewheeling driving resulting in an inside edge that tilted middle stump.

Tendulkar made it to the middle accompanied by his requisite ovation, and caused Australian hearts to leap when an inside edge to his second ball slipped centimetres from the grasp of short leg. Tea came and went with Pattinson's electricity still in the air, but on their return Tendulkar and Dravid set out with intent to control the innings.

The first ball of the evening was flashed high over the slips and the rope for six by Tendulkar, not permitting Siddle a moment to gather himself. The next flowed through midwicket for three, and Tendulkar's course was set. He maintained a rollicking pace for most of the next two hours, taking particular toll on Siddle, and defusing Lyon.

At the other end Dravid fought himself as much as the bowlers, not locating the fluency of his England efforts, but nonetheless providing the foil Tendulkar required to blunt Australia's bowlers. Michael Clarke shuffled his quartet as best he could, but the pacemen's spells became briefer and briefer, forcing the use of Hussey and even David Warner's under-ripe legspin.

The century partnership was the 20th between Tendulkar and Dravid in Tests, a milestone befitting Test cricket's most prolific batting partnership. It appeared to have ended shortly after when Siddle brought one back between the latter's bat and pad. The roar of a crowd of 52,858 was redoubled, however, when replays showed that Siddle had overstepped.

Siddle's next delivery went close to perforating Dravid's defence again, and the bowler's pace did not flag as he pushed himself to make amends. For perhaps the first time in his innings Tendulkar became a little tentative, mindful of the close, and he was not decisive enough in his push down the track to prevent an in-ducker from bursting through to disturb the stumps. The nightwatchman Ishant Sharma survived the final three balls, but his presence has provided Australia a path into India's batting when the Test resumes.

Bangladesh Vs Pakistan 2nd Test At Mirpur Day2 Live Score,Cricinfo,Highlights

Pakistan 87 for 1 (Taufeeq 44*, Azhar 26*) trail Bangladesh 338 (Shakib 144, Shahriar 97) by 251 runs 

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Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim frustrated Pakistan in a truncated morning session, but the visitors levelled the game over the next two sessions. Bangladesh's fragility was once again on display after lunch, as the final five wickets went down for 33 runs after which Pakistan's top order responded strongly.

Until the Bangladesh lower-order collapse in the afternoon, the only impediment to the home side's progress had been the fog in Mirpur, which wiped out an hour's play. Shakib and Mushfiqur crafted a slow-and-steady stand once it cleared, to give the small but vocal crowd something to cheer about on a chilly morning.

Shakib made his highest first-class score and was headed for Bangladesh's record individual Test effort when he was run-out. Mushfiqur took a few quick steps before stopping and sending Shakib back, but a direct hit from Taufeeq Umar, running in from mid-on, was enough to snap the partnership at 82. Shakib walked off, after several glares at his captain over the poor calling.

Whether that had an effect on Mushfiqur is hard to tell, but the very next delivery, he gloved a catch down the leg side to the wicketkeeper which left two new lower-order batsmen at the crease, and Pakistan sniffing a quick end to the innings. Elias Sunny and Shahadat Hossain rode their luck in a brief, entertaining stand - Sunny survived as an Umar Gul delivery kissed off stump without disturbing the bails, and Shahadat was put down by Abdur Rehman at deep midwicket.

The innings ended in a hurry, though, as Saeed Ajmal's doosra proved too much for the tailenders, and a run-out curtailed Nazmul Hossain's first Test knock in seven years to a single delivery.

In contrast, Pakistan had little to celebrate in the morning. There was little movement on offer for the quick bowlers and even with the second new ball Gul and Aizaz Cheema couldn't get any major deviation. With the old ball, Pakistan's dangerous spin pair of Ajmal and Rehman got some turn, but were blunted by Shakib and Mushfiqur.

Shakib hit only one boundary in the first session, and survived several lbw calls and an outside edge that landed short of slip. While he was circumspect, Mushfiqur was more enterprising. There was a powerful swipe over midwicket for six off Ajmal, and he picked up several boundaries with his favoured cut shot. They took Bangladesh past 300 in Tests for only the second time since May 2010, but their back-to-back dismissals restricted the innings to a far lower score than expected.

There was something to buoy the home side as they went in for tea. They removed Mohammad Hafeez, who has had a great run in 2011, including a big century in the previous Test. He had begun ominously, swatting consecutive boundaries in the third over, but nicked Nazmul's first ball in Tests in seven years, to be dismissed for 14.

Bangladesh's bowlers gifted easy runs till late in the final session, when the spinners Shakib and Mahmudullah kept the batsmen in check. There was an early close call for Azhar Ali, who unwisely shouldered arms to a delivery that nipped in from Robiul, narrowly avoiding a supremely confident shout for lbw. He wasn't at his most assured against the spinners either, beaten several times by the big turn Shakib was extracting, and once edging just wide of the slips.

Taufeeq Umar was more confident, initially capitalising on the loose deliveries on offer. There were plenty of cuts and drives as he picked up eight boundaries on his way to 44, before bad light expectedly ended play an hour early. There's still plenty of work to do for the Pakistan batting but with their increasingly reliable middle order, they will fancy their chances of overhauling Bangladesh's total.