West Indies v Australia, 1st Test, Bridgetown, Day5,Cricinfo

Clarke finds inspiration from Adelaide '06 heist

Michael Clarke's belief that the Bridgetown Test match could be won was forged six years ago in the middle of Adelaidle Ova. He had been joined at the wicket by Shane Warne, Australia struggling for first innings parity with England on the fourth day of what seemed destined to be a drawn Ashes Test. Simply and clearly, Warne told Clarke the match would be won. On a scarcely believable final day, it was.

Clarke carried that memory with him throughout the first Test against the West Indies, and echoed Warne in assuring his team that the Barbados match remained within their grasp. After a mighty struggle over the final two days, the visitors dragged themselves up from a position every bit as dire as the one occupied by Australia against England in 2006, and another remarkable victory was secured. It made Clarke only the second captain in the history of Test cricket to win a match after declaring behind.

"I remember Warney telling me back then that with a day and a half left in the Test match that we would win the game and I was trying to work out how," Clarke said of 2006. "At best surely we'd get a draw but he had no doubt in his mind. For me as a young player I thought 'right-o, that's my attitude, I'm going to win'. A few years on and I'm in the change rooms telling the boys we're going to win this Test match. Hopefully a few of them believed me the way I believed Warney back then.

"It shows, if you have that self-belief and belief in the inner sanctum and the guys that sit beside you that you find ways. That was the main thing I said to the boys today. I know it's tough, I know we're tired, I know there's going to be issues of the foot marks, I know it's going to be a tough run chase but find a way. Everyone and individually as a team we've got to find a way and we'll win this Test match. Credit to the boys, they certainly found a way."

Australia are building a team to be reckoned with under Clarke, and he had little hesitation declaring the Bridgetown result the equal of any he had enjoyed. It was as much a victory over the conditions and late season lethargy as the opposition, a West Indies team that is gathering discipline, skill and experience but is still learning how to fight out the critical phases of a Test.

"A just reward for hanging in, the team showing true character and fight and not giving up," Clarke said. "I think whatever happened this afternoon, whether we won the game, drew the game or lost the game, I think we certainly showed a lot of fight, a lot of character. We tried to win the Test.

"We did everything we could to try and win the Test match and it's very, very rewarding now sitting in the change rooms with that bunch of boys that we got the result we were after…after a lot of hard work, a couple of days with, I guess, our backs to the wall. But to be able to fight and get a result like that, that's as special a win as I've had in my career.

"This is as good as I've had, no doubt, because we had our backs to the wall for the first three days of the game. And the spirit and the character, I guess of the guys in the change room is what drives you, I guess, as a captain to make a bold decision, to declare when I declared. The confidence around me from everybody in that group, there wasn't one bit of fear of losing that Test match, it wasn't spoken about.

"From day one of the Test all that's been spoken about is what we have to do to win this Test match. And a lot of time it's easier said than done, especially when a team gets 450 on the board in the first two days, you get some time taken out of the game with the light, so full credit to every single player and support staff person in that change room."

The Australian team is beginning to bear the stamp of Clarke - relentlessly positive, adventurous, tactically agile and skillful. He said the team was learning more about how to best operate under pressure, meaning the lapses that occurred in Cape Town against South Africa and Hobart against New Zealand are now growing less likely to occur. It is also benefiting from the balance between the brash youth of David Warner, and the poise of older heads like Michael Hussey, so calm in the chase as he had been in Adelaide six years ago.

"I think we are just learning more and more about each other every day, especially under pressure," Clarke said. "We're working out what guys require to perform their best under pressure. We're seeing guys stand up when they get an opportunity to play Test cricket. We're seeing some old hands and some old legs still pulling tricks out of the bag to help us win games and Huss is a great example of that.

"We're putting in really good team performances. You're not going to be successful individually every single time you walk out to bat or walk out to bowl. But I think the team we have at the moment, the players we have around the group at the moment aren't bothered about themselves. They care most about the team winning and doing whatever they can to contribute to success. In my mind, there's no coincidence the team's doing well because we're all putting the team first."

Sri Lanka v England, 2nd Test, Colombo, Day5,Cricinfo

England 460 (Pietersen 151, Cook 94, Herath 6-133) and 97 for 2 beat Sri Lanka 275 (Mahela Jayawardene 105, Swann 4-75) and 278 (Mahela Jayawardene 64, Swann 6-106) by eight wickets

In the end it was a breeze. Whatever doubts England might have had about chasing 94 to win the second Test at the end of a tormented Asian winter did not manifest themselves as they gambolled to a victory that, for the moment at least, preserves their status as the No. 1-ranked side in the world.

Lurking memories of their collapse to 72 all out, in pursuit of 145, in Abu Dhabi barely two months ago were banished as Alastair Cook proceeded from the outset at a one-day rate and Kevin Pietersen added a lighthearted singalong to his majestic first-innings century. England had it all wrapped up within 20 overs, levelling the series at 1-1 and preventing Sri Lanka from achieving their own first Test series win for three years.

It was a steamy Colombo day - one reading showed 42C - so hot that holidaymakers along Sri Lanka's coast would be dragging sunbeds into the shade. England lost their captain, Andrew Strauss, for nought, bowled by Tillakaratne Dilshan as he met one that turned with ponderous footwork and an angled blade, and Jonathan Trott followed lbw to Rangana Herath as Sri Lanka successfully asked for a referral, but they were not about to wilt in the sun.

Sri Lanka, who had added another 60 in the morning session, relied entirely upon their spinners in recognition that the P Sara pitch had finally become the minefield that many had long forecast. Cook signalled his intent by driving and cutting Dilshan for successive boundaries and scored 30 of England's first 40 runs. When he cut three times in one over at Herath, and missed the lot, Sri Lanka must have realised there would be no miracle.

Then Pietersen came over all Frank Sinatra, confident again to do it his way, gliding down the pitch to loft Herath straight for six. Appropriately, the match ended with Pietersen v Dilshan, reviving memories of the contretemps over Pietersen's switch hit. Mahela Jayawardene brought the field in and challenged Pietersen to win it with a six and he did so, launching the ball over midwicket. What did he think of April Tests in Colombo when the climate was at its fiercest? "A joke," Pietersen said, ingenuously.

Sri Lanka, six down overnight, lost three wickets in a rush, but Angelo Mathews countered briefly to turn an overnight lead of 33 into something a little more substantial. Their chief tormenter was Graeme Swann who had rolled in, sunglasses not quite disguising a scampish intent, to turn the game with two wickets in the penultimate over of the fourth day. He spun the ball viciously at times on a pitch that, for him at least, finally had become the spin bowler's friend.

Samit Patel also chipped in with his first wicket of the match when Herath anticipated Swann-like turn, found Patel-like turn instead and offered the simplest of chances to James Anderson at slip.

For Sri Lanka, the onus rested once more on Jayawardene. Swann, who took 6 for 106 to finish with ten wickets in the match, finally removed him an excellent ball which turned and bounced to hit the glove and lob easily to Cook, plunging forward at short leg. It was the end of a polished defensive innings - 64 from 191 balls with only four boundaries.

Jayawardene made 354 runs in four innings with two centuries and his stock has rarely been higher. It was easy to carp that Sri Lanka had not helped themselves by a scoring rate not much above two an over, but only Pietersen, whose rapid century had created the time in which England could win the game, had played with any panache on this pitch and to try to ape Pietersen in that mood would be to fly too close to the sun.

Two overs later and another Jayawardene followed, this time Prasanna, coming in two places lower at No. 9 thanks to Sri Lanka's recourse to nightwatchmen on the previous two evenings. It was a briefly unimpressive stay, ended when he tried to sweep and was bowled around his legs.

Mathews' survival owed much to a calamitous morning for Cook at short leg. Three times in five overs Swann had expectations of dismissing Mathews to a nudge to short leg, but Cook failed to cling to two low chances and then a third fell wide of him as Swann looked as dangerous as at any time on England's winter tours.

There was further frustration for England, too, when Mahela Jayawardene, on 58, was adjudged lbw by umpire Asad Rauf only for the decision to be overturned on review when the TV umpire, Rod Tucker, spotted an inside edge.

As wickets fell, Mathews eventually had little choice but to formulate an attacking response, but eventually an erratic surface betrayed him as Steven Finn made one stick in the pitch and Mathews, intent upon advancing to drive, could only chip into the leg side. England's run of failures were soon to be put behind them.

New Zealand v South Africa, 3rd Test, Wellington, Day 5,Test Result DRAW

South Africa 474 for 9 dec (Petersen 156, Duminy 103, Gillespie 6-113) and 189 for 3 dec (de Villiers 68) drew with New Zealand 275 (Guptill 59, Philander 6-81) and 200 for 6 (Williamson 102*, Morkel 6-23)

An outstanding rearguard 102 from Kane Williamson negated Morne Morkel's career-best figures of 6 for 23, as New Zealand held on for 80.4 overs to draw the third Test at the Basin Reserve. South Africa gifted Williamson two lives and the umpires one, but a flawless last session, much of it in the company of a courageous Doug Bracewell, ensured his side could glean positives from a difficult series, though they lost 1-0. New Zealand ended at 200 for 6, 189 short of the target they never attempted. 



The sparse Wellington crowd cheered every wicketless delivery, as the full day's quota approached. Hampered by the loss of Ross Taylor, New Zealand had only nine wickets to play with, but Williamson and Bracewell, who played out 19.1 overs together ensured Mark Gillespie and Chris Martin were left unused. The Test had one final twist when the new ball became available with one over to bowl, but Vernon Philander could not break Bracewell, proving there were some things even he can't to with the ball, despite having enhanced his fearsome reputation with each game this tour. 



Smart stats Kane Williamson's hundred was his second in Tests. It was also the 15th century by a New Zealand batsmanagainst South Africa and the first since 2006. Since their readmission, South Africa have won seven of the eight series against New Zealand. The only drawn series was in 2003-04. Morne Morkel's 6 for 23 was his fifth five-wicket haul inTests and his first since his 5 for 20 against India in Centurion in 2010. Morkel's 6 for 23 was the third-best bowling performance by a South African in Tests against New Zealand. It was also fifth on the list of top bowling performances by visiting bowlers in Wellington. AB de Villiers' strike rate of 138.77 during his innings of 68 was his highest for a fifty-plus score in Tests. Overall, it was second on the list of highest strike rates for fifty-plus scores for South African batsmen.

South Africa added four clear-cut chances in the second innings to the five they'd missed yesterday. Alviro Petersen spilt Williamson on 10, diving to his right at gully only to palm it to the ground. The drop was particularly painful for Petersen who had appeared to take a low chance cleanly several overs before, only for the third umpire to deem Williamson not out, to South Africa's surprise. AB de Villiers was the next culprit, dropping a low chance at second slip with Williamson on 22. Dean Brownlie then got a life from Graeme Smith, though he didn't capitalise, adding no more runs before being dismissed and Bracewell was shelled late in the day, again by de Villiers at second slip. 



If Williamson had been fortunate to survive till tea, his batting through the final session was pure technique and application. Not having to contend with hooping outswing or biting turn, Williamson tuned his mind solely to blunting South Africa's favourite weapon in the third Test: bounce. Picking the lifters early, he'd duck everything South Africa pitched in their own half. If the balls were fuller - just short of a length - he'd climb on his tip-toes, elbows always high, and punch the ball down into the off side. Yorkers came into vogue later in the session, but having seen Morkel unleash hell with those at the other end, he was prepared. He dug them out dutifully, turning down runs into the outfield to keep himself on strike. 



New Zealand's now-abandoned four-seamer policy had been tried partly because Doug Bracewell's first class career had promised runs at Test level. Until his 59-ball 20 here, he'd barely distinguished himself above Chris Martin as a batsman. Bracewell flirted dangerously outside off stump twice; once off Morkel and once off Steyn, and was dropped in the slips once, but otherwise willow met leather comfortably whenever a stroke was offered. He even ventured two consecutive fours either side of the stumps off Marchant de Lange in the last half hour, as South Africa grew desperate. With Bracewell's defence seeming more secure with each stroke, Williamson no longer bothered shielding him from the strike towards the end. 



Williamson's 228-ball vigil had begun when Brendon McCullum was dismissed in the fifth over. With Taylor undergoing surgery, Williamson had been promoted to No. 4, and his inexperience showed, as both he and Martin Guptill shut down their scoring almost completely for the duration of their partnership. Williamson's first ten runs came from 55 deliveries, and with South Africa able to pool all their resources into attack, it was only a matter of time until the wicket came. Guptill edged Morkel to gully soon after lunch. 



Positivity eventually found its way into Williamson's game, and he and Dean Brownlie resisted, making their second 50-run stand of the game. A serene straight drive off Vernon Philander was followed by consecutive sweeps to the fence off JP Duminy, and Williamson flew towards his second fifty of the series as the field relaxed somewhat. Kruger van Wyk contributed another gritty knock, holding the visitors at bay for 80 deliveries either side of tea, and was perhaps unlucky that Morkel stuck out his left hand on his follow-through to snatch a bludgeoned drive. He partnered Williamson for the longest time of his team-mates, as their stand ate up more than a quarter of the overs New Zealand batted out. 



South Africa were hamstrung by a pitch that had flattened out significantly throughout the Test, but would have been disappointed that in spite of all the missed chances, only Morkel was able to take wickets. Philander was threatening, as always, sticking methodically to the back-of-a-length and off-stump line that had reaped him so much success in the series, but having suffered at his hands so severely, New Zealand finally seemed capable of combating his threat - even if the pitch did much of this for them. Steyn was unlucky, as he has been all series. Most of the dropped chances in the match were off his bowling, and Steyn swung the ball early, at good pace, for no reward. 



Three of Morkel's wickets came from searing yorkers. McCullum couldn't get bat to one that would have hit leg stump, Brownlie let one slip beneath his bat and Daniel Vettori barely had time to register being at the crease before Morkel bowled him first ball. Late in the day, Morkel tried everything to dismiss Williamson and Bracewell, but the batsmen were resolute. An over of short balls was followed by one where he pitched full, but nothing worked. 



Smith vexingly wasted thirteen overs by using JP Duminy, who never looked like breaking through, though among his other regrets may be batting for too long at the start of the day. Though de Villiers made good use of the time they kept New Zealand in the field, making a 49-ball 68, perhaps 388 was far too conservative a lead, given New Zealand had not passed 300 in the series.

Rain has final say in compelling Test

South Africa 238 (Amla 62, Smith 53, Martin 4-56) and 435 for 5 dec (Smith 115, Kallis 113, Rudolph 105*) drew with New Zealand 273 (McCullum 48, Philander 4-72) and 137 for 2 (McCullum 58*, Taylor 48*) 

The final day of the first Test promised to be an intriguing one, with South Africa needing eight wickets to win and New Zealand 264 runs, but 14 hours of incessant rain in Dunedin made play impossible and the match was called a draw just after 2pm.

Brendon McCullum was unbeaten on 58, having had an 84-run partnership with Ross Taylor, that put New Zealand in the hunt for a series lead. Graeme Smith was named Man of the match for his 115 in the second innings.

The teams now head to Hamilton for the second Test of the three-match series, which begins on Thursday.

Bangladesh Vs Pakistan 2nd Test At Mirpur Day5 Live Score,Cricinfo,Highlights

Pakistan 470 (Taufeeq 130, Misbah 70, Azhar 57, Akmal 53, Shakib 6-82) and 107 for 3 beat Bangladesh338 (Shakib 144, Nafees 97) and 234 (Nasir 79, Mushfiqur 53, Rehman 4-51) by seven wickets

Watch Highlights

Pakistan capped off a fruitful year in cricket by completing a clean sweep against Bangladesh in Mirpur on a drama-filled day that showcased the unpredictability of Test cricket.

In the first session, Nasir Hossain and Mushfiqur Rahim batted sensibly, not especially worried about the runs which they were collecting, making the draw seem the likeliest result. In the second, a combination of kamikaze batting and smart spin bowling resulted in Bangladesh losing their final five wickets for 22 runs, leaving Pakistan the seemingly straightforward target of 103. It wasn't though, as Pakistan faced a race against the fading light in the final session, and needed some intrepid batting to secure the victory in the gloom.

There was a helping hand from the weather for Bangladesh early on, as the usual morning fog delayed the start by an hour and a half. Bangladesh's batting has posted 250 in both innings of a Test only four times in the past seven years, and as play began the worry was the home side would fold on a fifth-day track, particularly against Pakistan's versatile spin attack.

Those fears were quelled in the morning as Nasir went on to his maiden half-century while Mushfiqur made his second important contribution with the bat as the pair put on a century stand. After lunch, though, Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal bamboozled the lower order to revive fading Pakistan hopes of a victory.

It was Rehman who did the major damage after the interval. Nasir was hoodwinked by a straighter delivery that beat the bat and crashed into the stumps to end the partnership at 117. Bangladesh still had plenty of reasons to hope: the lead was already 80, Mushfiqur was set and nearing his half-century, the new batsman Elias Sunny had a first-class high score of 176, and the light usually fades well before the scheduled close of play.

Those hopes pretty much evaporated after a wild stroke from Mushfiqur, who charged out and looked to send a Rehman delivery out of the ground, only managing to top edge it towards mid-off. How Mushfiqur can lecture his team-mates about batting responsibly after this shot remains to be seen.

Bangladesh's slide continued thanks to a moment of magic from Younis Khan at slip, which seemed even more spectacular given the number of simple chances that have been put down in the match. It extended Shahadat Hossain's forgettable Test as he attempted a reckless swipe across the line, getting a thick edge which was seemingly flying well wide of first slip. Younis, though, threw himself to his right goalkeeper-style to snaffle it one-handed. Saeed Ajmal then captured the final two victims to take his tally for the year to 50.

In contrast to the helter-skelter batting after lunch, Nasir and Mushfiqur had been level-headed in seeing off the bowling in the morning. Chances fell short, flew wide and soared over slip but Pakistan were unable to make the breakthrough, as both batsmen also played some powerful shots behind point. In the fourth over of the day, Nasir edged an attempted drive just past second slip, but that didn't stop him from a vigorous upper cut over gully for four off the next delivery.

Once the fast bowlers were seen off, Ajmal and Rehman dried up the runs with an accurate spell of bowling. A five-over stretch that yielded only one run was finally snapped by the inevitable big stroke, but Nasir managed to swat it wide of the diving midwicket fielder to pick up a boundary.

Both Nasir and Mushfiqur showed a defensive technique that was mostly watertight, and Pakistan had to turn to their secondary spinners, Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali. A whip to midwicket for four off Ali brought up the hundred stand five minutes before lunch, and Bangladesh were looking forward to escaping with a draw before a depressingly familiar collapse followed.

In this Test, Shakib Al Hasan already had the highest score and the best bowling figures by a Bangladeshi against Pakistan, but he could still have made his most important contribution during the chase. It was getting murky early in the afternoon, and the floodlights were on as early as 3pm - a series of tight overs could have been enough to conjure a face-saving draw. He bowled through the innings but it was a task too tough even for him.

Pakistan had a stretch of 24 dot balls early on, and Taufeeq Umar was dismissed cheaply, but Mohammad Hafeez then took over, expertly pulling the barrage of short balls from the medium-pacers. With Azhar Ali working the singles, Pakistan galloped towards victory even as the light faded. Both Hafeez and Azhar were dismissed with the win in sight, but that only brought in the senior batsmen, Man-of-the-Series Younis Khan and captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who stylishly completed the victory with a six over long-off.

Mumbai Test Draw With Scores Level

india 482 (Ashwin 103, Tendulkar 94, Dravid 82) and 242 for 9 (Kohli 63, Sehwag 60) drew with West Indies 590 (Bravo 166, K Edwards 86, Powell 81) and 134 (Ojha 6-47, Ashwin 4-34)

The draw was the predicted result at the start of the final day in Wankhede. It was a draw alright, but instead of the widely expected borefest, the teams served up one of the most extraordinary days of Test cricket, with the game ending with the scores level for only the second time in Tests.

R Ashwin was the Man of the Match and Man of the Series, but wasn't the man of the moment for India when they needed two off the final delivery - he took a single, but bizarrely didn't set off immediately for the tight second that could have sealed the win, and the clean sweep for India. He was run out, ending an hour of almost unbearable tension that showcased Test cricket's slow-burn thrills. Fidel Edwards, a man renowned for securing nail-biting draws with the bat, had done the job with the ball in the final over this time.

A comatose Test had sprung to life on the final morning in Mumbai, as Pragyan Ojha and Ashwin ran through the West Indian line-up courtesy a combination of quality spin and atrocious shot selection. That left India a tricky 243 to get in 64 overs. Virender Sehwag then concocted another brisk half-century to set the early pace, before Virat Kohli forged his second Test fifty in two days to seal his place at No. 6 for the Boxing Day Test and keep India's pursuit on course.

With ten overs to go, India were well in control - 42 short with Kohli and Ashwin at the crease, both youngsters brimming with confident after making plenty of runs on the fourth day, and having their places for the tour of Australia confirmed earlier in the day. The pair nervelessly took India to within 19, and victory seemed a formality. That was when Kohli top-edged a catch to a hobbling Darren Sammy at gully.

That put Ashwin in the spotlight. He has revelled under responsibility all series, and but the biggest test of his temperament had just arrived. He was remarkably composed, often counselling the tail-enders as the match wound its way to an impossibly tense finish. The most common chant in Indian grounds is the "Sachin, Sachin" mantra with the first word stretched out, and the second short and sharp. A similar chant went around the Wankhede, only Sachin's name was replaced by Ashwin's.

Tea India 482 and 148 for 4 (Laxman 19*, Kohli 20*) need 95 to beat West Indies 590 and 134 (Ojha 6-47, Ashwin 4-34)

A comatose Test sprang to life on the final morning in Mumbai as Pragyan Ojha and R Ashwin brought back memories of the years when India's spinners regularly ran through the opposition. A combination of atrocious shot selection from the inexperienced West Indies batsmen and generous turn left India 64 overs to try to chase 243 and complete a rare clean sweep of a three-Test series.

Virender Sehwag then concocted another brisk half-century to set the early pace, but his exit and a couple of other quick strikes left India pondering whether to go all-out for a thorny target. VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli survived a nervy phase before picking up some momentum to bring India within 95 runs of victory at tea.

Neither team would have been confident of a win at the start of play, with only 22 wickets falling in four days. It had taken India nearly six sessions to get eight West Indian wickets in the first innings, but it required little more than an hour on Saturday morning at the Wankhede. The difference between West Indies' totals was 456, the fourth largest in Test history, yet again highlighting their inability to put together two solid innings.

Darren Bravo and Kraigg Brathwaite began the morning with the same assurance they had shown on the fourth evening, as India attacked with only one spinner early on. Twenty minutes in, the game was meandering along with the lead nearing 200 when Brathwaite slapped a slightly short delivery towards Sachin Tendulkar at gully. There was still nothing major for West Indies to worry about as Bravo, West Indies' best batsman, brought up 400 runs in the series, and fluently crashed Varun Aaron for consecutive boundaries.

That changed in one over, during a spell in which Ojha gave the ball plenty of air and got it to spin. He floated a tossed-up delivery that invited the drive, Bravo responded by trying to carve it through his favoured cover region, only to edge it back to the bowler. In the absence of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the most-experienced batsman in the side was Marlon Samuels. The shot he played, though, hardly befitted his senior position in the side. Samuels jumped out three deliveries into his innings, looking to heave Ojha against the turn and out of the park. He made no contact, and Dhoni did the rest.

It was then time for Ashwin to contribute. Cartlon Baugh capped his horror match with an expansive drive that left acres of space between the bat and pad for an offbreak to saunter through on its way to the top of middle stump. Suddenly, every delivery seemed like getting a wicket. Kieran Powell, a naturally aggressive batsman, was teased by a 7-2 leg-side field, enticing him to go for the big hit against Ojha's turn. He resisted that temptation but was undone by an Ashwin arm-ball, struck on the pad after playing for the turn.

West Indies were down to 120 for 7, with all their recognised batsmen dismissed. Rolling over the tail was all too easy for India's spinners, leaving the mighty home team's batsmen a challenge over the final two sessions.

Gautam Gambhir stabbed a wide ball to gully to exit early, but Sehwag capitalised on three reprieves to power his way to a half-century. It wasn't the usual blast-from-the-start innings from Sehwag, his first boundary coming only in the eighth over. Once he got going, though, it was classic Sehwag. He pulled fast bowlers from outside off for fours, didn't give the spinners must respect, and had jaws dropping after an insouciant late dab to the third-man boundary.

His dismissal was also entertaining, top-edging to short fine leg while attempting to reverse sweep a full toss. Sachin Tendulkar was done in by the extra bounce from Samuels, and Dravid's also chipped a catch to midwicket soon after. With India at 113 for 4, thoughts turned to whether they would shut shop as they had when faced a tricky chase in the third Test in Dominica. Kohli and Laxman, though, showed India still had the intent to go for the win.

Sl Vs Aus 2nd Test Day5 Cricinfo

Rain helps Sri Lanka along, yet again

AP Australian captain Michael Clarke (third right) echanges words with Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene over a catch in Pallekele on Monday.

 

 

Rain came to Sri Lanka’s rescue a second time on Monday, with the side tottering at 317 for 6 on the final day of the second test against Australia, just 80 runs ahead. With light fading away in the post-tea session every day, a draw seems the only possible result of this match.

Sri Lankan batsmen seemed to bank more on the weather than their own skills. Almost all batsmen fell trying to go for their strokes. There was nothing significant in the pitch, nor did any batsman receive any special, unplayable delivery. Anjelo Mathews (11 not out) and Suraj Randiv (4 n.o.) were in the middle when rain forced a second break.

In the morning too, rain kept its date with Pallekele as Sri Lanka lost both the overnight batsmen in the first hour of play.

Thilan Samaraweera (43), who had very little success in the series, and Prasanna Jayawardene (21), who has had eminently forgettable series in which he also bagged a pair in the first test, were at the crease, when bad light and rain forced the players back to their dressing room. Jayawardene was caught behind off Harris after lunch, while Samaraweera too departed in a similar fashion, after gifting his wicket to Watson.

The day unfolded with Kumar Sangakkara departing; not adding to his overnight score of 69. He edged Harris to second slip where Michael Clarke held on to a straightforward chance. Sri Lanka would have been badly off if Clarke had held on to the next chance – Samaraweera steered Harris straight to Clarke and Clarke could not latch on.

But Clarke, in the thick of action for once, brought off a spectacular, low, left-handed blinder of a catch to send back Mahela Jayawardene (51), off a Copeland delivery that moved out after pitching a shade outside off stump. Jayawardene had doubts about the catch – especially going by Clarke’s earlier record – and he asked the Aussie Captain if he had taken it clean. There appeared to be an exchange of words in the middle, with the Aussie captain taking the lead in the verbal volley. Jayawardene asked the umpires to check if it was clean. It, indeed, was a clean catch, a few inches off the ground. As Jayawardene walked away too, the infamous Aussie verbal assault followed him. This time though, Jayawardene, one of calmest cricketers of this generation, too retaliated

Sl Vs Aus 2nd Test Day5 Cricinfo

Sri Lanka fighting for a draw

 

AFP SEASONED CAMPAINGER: Sri Lanka will pin its hopes on Kumar Sangakkara (aided by the weather) to salavage on draw in the second Test.

Sri Lanka, helped by sensible batting by the top order and a placid pitch that offered nothing to the bowlers, ended the fourth day of the second Test match against Australia here at 223 for the loss of two wickets, as it fights for a draw with a day left in the match.

Bad light stopped play yet again, for the fourth day in a row more than an hour ahead of close of play. Rain and bad light have robbed the Test of at least 80 overs so far. Australia is still ahead by 14 runs.

For the first time in this series, Sri Lanka's first, second and third wicket partnerships exceeded 50 runs. Kumar Sangakkara (69 batting), who missed a half-century in the first innings made amends in the second essay. Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene (38 batting) were at the crease at stumps.

Lapse in concentration

Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan (36) initially led the fight-back in the company of opening batsman Tharanga Paranavitana (55). A short rain-forced break made Dilshan lose his concentration.

Just five before lunch, he slashed at a delivery outside the off-stump into the hands of Watson at slip. For the fourth time in as many innings, Dilshan, who has demanded accountability from his colleagues, failed to lead by example. Michael Hussey's dream series continued. For the second time in two innings he struck with his military medium-pace, picking up a wicket in the first over of his spell.

Clarke had tossed the ball to Hussey more out of desperation. Bowling a decent line and length, he drew Paranavitana out with one pitched on the off and moving further away.

Paranavitana got a feather touch and the third umpire ruled, following an Aussie referral.

Earlier, Michael Clarke declared at the overnight score of 411 for seven and took the gamble to push for a win. But, the dark clouds continue to threaten and there is also a forecast of rain on Monday, the last day of the game.

Only Test Pak Win By 7 Wickets

Zimbabwe vs Pakistan, Only Test

 

Venue: Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo   Toss: Pakistan (Elect to field)

 

Other innings: Pak 2nd Inngs | Zim 2nd Inngs | Pak 1st Inngs | Zim 1st Inngs

 

	Pakistan 2nd Innings		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	M Hafeez	b R Price	38	44	6	1	86.36
	T Umar	c T Taibu & b K Jarvis	8	13	2	0	61.54
	A Ali	c G Lamb & b R Price	22	37	4	0	59.46
	Y Khan	not out	14	28	1	0	50
	Misbah-ul-Haq(c)	not out	6	8	1	0	75
	U Akmal	dnb	0	0	0	0	0.00
	A Akmal(wk)	dnb	0	0	0	0	0.00
	J Khan	dnb	0	0	0	0	0.00
	S Khan	dnb	0	0	0	0	0.00
	S Ajmal	dnb	0	0	0	0	0.00
	A Cheema	dnb	0	0	0	0	0.00
	Extras	b - 0, lb - 0, w - 0, nb - 0, Total - 0
	Total: (88 for 3 in 21.4 overs)		88 (4.06 runs per over)

 

Fall of Wickets 1/19 (Taufeeq Umar, 4.3 ov.), 2/49 (Mohammad Hafeez, 11.2 ov.), 3/80 (Azhar Ali, 19.5 ov.)

	Bowler		O	M	R	W	Econ
	Kyle Jarvis		5	0	17	1	3.4
	Ray Price		10.4	2	35	2	3.28
	Brian Vitori		2	0	15	0	7.5
	Gregory Lamb		4	0	21	0	5.25

 

	Zimbabwe 2nd Innings		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	T Mawoyo	b S Ajmal	12	30	2	0	40
	V Sibanda	c S Ajmal & b Aizaz Cheema	5	8	1	0	62.5
	H Masakadza	b Aizaz Cheema	8	27	1	0	29.63
	B Taylor(c)	lbw S Ajmal	5	14	0	0	35.71
	T Taibu(wk)	c A Akmal & b Aizaz Cheema	58	131	5	1	44.27
	C Ervine	lbw M Hafeez	6	12	1	0	50
	G Lamb	lbw M Hafeez	7	15	0	0	46.67
	Ray Price	b M Hafeez	0	9	0	0	0
	B Vitori	c T Umar & b M Hafeez	7	8	1	0	87.5
	K Jarvis	not out	25	81	4	0	30.86
	C Mpofu	c A Akmal & b Aizaz Cheema	0	5	0	0	0
	Extras	b - 4, lb - 1, w - 2, nb - 1, Total - 8
	Total: (141 all out in 56.3 overs)		141 (2.5 runs per over)

 

Fall of Wickets 1/9 (Vusi Sibanda, 3.2 ov.), 2/19 (Tino Mawoyo, 8.2 ov.), 3/31 (Brendan Taylor, 12.5 ov.), 4/31 (Hamilton Masakadza, 13.2 ov.), 5/45 (Craig Ervine, 17.2 ov.), 6/61 (Gregory Lamb, 23.2 ov.), 7/61 (Ray Price, 25.5 ov.), 8/69 (Brian Vitori, 27.3 ov.), 9/135 (Tatenda Taibu, 54.6 ov.), 10/141 (Chris Mpofu, 56.3 ov.)

	Bowler		O	M	R	W	Econ
	Sohail Khan		6	1	19	0	3.17
	Aizaz Cheema		11.3	5	24	4	2.09
	Saeed Ajmal		22	4	53	2	2.41
	Mohammad Hafeez		15	4	31	4	2.07
	Junaid Khan		2	0	9	0	4.5

 

	Pakistan 1st Innings		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	M Hafeez	c G Lamb & b H Masakadza	119	177	19	1	67.23
	T Umar	lbw K Jarvis	4	9	1	0	44.44
	A Ali	c T Taibu & b G Lamb	75	193	11	0	38.86
	Y Khan	c B Taylor & b R Price	88	265	5	1	33.21
	Misbah-ul-Haq(c)	c B Vitori & b G Lamb	66	110	9	1	60
	U Akmal	c B Taylor & b G Lamb	15	39	2	0	38.46
	A Akmal(wk)	runout (K Jarvis)	36	45	5	0	80
	S Ajmal	b R Price	28	52	1	1	53.85
	S Khan	c C Ervine & b C Mpofu	11	30	0	1	36.67
	J Khan	c C Ervine & b C Mpofu	6	13	0	0	46.15
	A Cheema	not out	0	4	0	0	0
	Extras	b - 4, lb - 14, w - 0, nb - 0, Total - 18
	Total: (466 all out in 156.1 overs)		466 (2.98 runs per over)

 

Fall of Wickets 1/8 (Taufeeq Umar, 1.6 ov.), 2/196 (Mohammad Hafeez, 58.4 ov.), 3/218 (Azhar Ali, 67.6 ov.), 4/318 (Misbah-ul-Haq, 103.4 ov.), 5/357 (Umar Akmal, 120.1 ov.), 6/415 (Adnan Akmal, 137.3 ov.), 7/424 (Younis Khan, 142.1 ov.), 8/455 (Sohail Khan, 151.6 ov.), 9/466 (Junaid Khan, 155.2 ov.), 10/466 (Saeed Ajmal, 156.1 ov.)

	Bowler		O	M	R	W	Econ
	Brian Vitori		25	3	103	0	4.12
	Kyle Jarvis		24	4	79	1	3.29
	Chris Mpofu		22	5	64	2	2.91
	Ray Price		50.1	24	69	2	1.38
	Gregory Lamb		28	2	120	3	4.29
	Hamilton Masakadza		7	2	13	1	1.86

 

	Zimbabwe 1st Innings		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	T Mawoyo	not out	163	453	20	0	35.98
	V Sibanda	st A Akmal & b S Ajmal	45	66	9	0	68.18
	H Masakadza	b S Ajmal	11	41	2	0	26.83
	B Taylor(c)	lbw S Ajmal	10	12	2	0	83.33
	T Taibu(wk)	c A Akmal & b S Khan	44	70	6	0	62.86
	C Ervine	c & b J Khan	49	106	8	0	46.23
	G Lamb	lbw S Ajmal	39	105	4	0	37.14
	Ray Price	c A Ali & b Aizaz Cheema	6	16	1	0	37.5
	B Vitori	c Y Khan & b Aizaz Cheema	14	17	3	0	82.35
	K Jarvis	b Aizaz Cheema	0	5	0	0	0
	C Mpofu	b Aizaz Cheema	8	15	0	1	53.33
	Extras	b - 7, lb - 13, w - 1, nb - 2, Total - 23
	Total: (412 all out in 150.4 overs)		412 (2.73 runs per over)

 

Fall of Wickets 1/71 (Vusi Sibanda, 22.5 ov.), 2/91 (Hamilton Masakadza, 36.1 ov.), 3/111 (Brendan Taylor, 40.4 ov.), 4/176 (Tatenda Taibu, 65.2 ov.), 5/270 (Craig Ervine, 99.5 ov.), 6/365 (Gregory Lamb, 135.3 ov.), 7/374 (Ray Price, 138.4 ov.), 8/394 (Brian Vitori, 144.2 ov.), 9/394 (Kyle Jarvis, 146.1 ov.), 10/412 (Chris Mpofu, 150.4 ov.)

	Bowler		O	M	R	W	Econ
	Aizaz Cheema		28.4	11	79	4	2.76
	Sohail Khan		24	8	62	1	2.58
	Junaid Khan		29	14	55	1	1.9
	Saeed Ajmal		54	13	143	4	2.65
	Mohammad Hafeez		9	1	30	0	3.33
	Azhar Ali		6	1	23	0	3.83

 

Umpires: Rod Tucker (Aus) & Ian Gould (Eng)

 

Third Umpire: Jeremiah Matibiri (Zim)

 

Match Referee: David Boon (Aus)