Cowan to make debut

In-form newcomer Ed Cowan said on Wednesday he will be fully prepared if Shaun Marsh fails to make Australia's first Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground next week.

Cowan was one of three additions to a 13-man Australian squad announced on Wednesday for the Boxing Day blockbuster with India after batsmen Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja were dumped.

Marsh has only played three Tests but has back trouble from the recent South Africa tour and is fighting to take his place in the first of four Tests.

Selectors named Marsh, Cowan and Ben Hilfenhaus along with all-rounder Dan Christian in their extended squad, but there was no place for injured allrounder Shane Watson and fast bowler Ryan Harris. Chief selector John Inverarity said the size of the squad was due to the continuing uncertainty about the fitness of Marsh.

But Cowan, who has presented undeniable selection claims after his fourth century in his past four games, wants to be as well prepared as possible should the call come to make his Test debut at the age of 29.

"You would be silly to prepare expecting not to play," Cowan said in Canberra after the Chairman's XI's drawn match with India.

"I've got no idea how Shaun's back is. I'll assume Shaun will be fit and then it's down to the balance of the side. I'm excited to be a part of the team and hopefully I'll get my chance on Boxing Day to continue a decent run of form."

Cowan hit 109 for the Chairman's XI against India along with two centuries in this season's domestic Sheffield Shield and one for Australia A against the touring New Zealanders. But Cowan stressed that his selection in the Test squad was not purely on the strength of this season's prolific form.

"It's two-and-a-half years of solid domestic cricket form. I've got nine first-class hundreds in the last two-and-a-half years so it's not four hundreds in four weeks and suddenly you're in the Test team," he said.

"It's two-and-a-half years of trying to dominate state cricket and I've hit some form at the right time. It doesn't feel like my game has changed technically in the last four weeks, but the stars have aligned a bit and I've got pretty greedy when I got in in the last four weeks."

Inverarity, who called Cowan with the news late Tuesday, said the right-hander promised to add some steel to Australia's fragile top order. "His inclusion is in recognition of his consistently good performances and we anticipate that he can provide steadiness at the top of the order," he said.

Hughes paid for his suspect technique outside offstump, habitually caught in the slips for low scores in the four innings against New Zealand recently.

Khawaja failed to build on starts to his innings and failed to get beyond 38 in his three knocks against the Kiwis. Inverarity said Hughes and Khawaja both needed to produce "compelling performances" to be considered for future Test selection.

"We see both Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja as developing players with bright futures and remaining as players of significance," he said.

"They are determined young men and I know that they will work hard to produce compelling performances and push strongly for further consideration."

Inverarity said Watson and Harris were not considered ready to face India. "Shane Watson was not considered for selection as he has not recovered sufficiently and Ryan Harris has not yet achieved the volume of bowling required to be available for consideration for Test selection," he said.

Ishant played last day of the practise match to prove his fitness

The final day of the drawn three-day warm-up game here at the Manuka Oval between Indians and the Cricket Australia (CA) Chairman's XI turned farcical as Ishant Sharma, who was not even in the 13-man squad, bowled to prove that he is on track to lead the attack on Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The Indian team management requested Chairman's XI to allow Ishant bowl on the final day here Wednesday. Ishant wasn't included in the original 13-man squad to play at Manuka Oval because of his ankle injury.
Ishant's inclusion became a farce and to add to it three nonsensical declarations on the final day ensured it will be a hard to explain in the record books.
David Warner's Chairman's XI declared their first innings at 215 for seven overnight, meaning they trailed India's first innings score of 269 by 54 runs.
India declared at 90 for two after Virender Sehwag (8) and Ajinkya Rahane departed in quick successions. Gautam Gambhir remained unbeaten on 42 and Rohit Sharma on 38.
Set a target of 145 to win, Usman Khawaja and Phil Hughes, motivated by their axings from the Test side, gave the Chairman's XI a good start. But surprisingly both the teams decided to end the match when Chairman's XI were 100 for no loss and with nearly two hours of play left. Khawaja made 56 not out and Hughes an unbeaten 42.

Sportpersons can eligible for Bharat Ratna

Indian sports persons are now eligible to receive the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour in the country.

Sachin Tendulkar and the late hockey legend Dhyan Chand are considered first in line among India's sporting heroes to receive the honour.

The Indian government approved Sports Minister Ajay Maken's request to let sports persons be eligible for the award, which was earlier given only for artistic, literary, scientific achievements or "public service of the highest order."

"I wrote a letter to Home Minister on April 15. The Prime Minister and Home Minister have very kindly agreed now to change the norm. Instead of the fields of art, literature, science and public services, now on November 16, Government has notified that for performance of highest order in any field of human endeavour Bharat Ratna could be awarded," Maken said today.

Sachin, Laxman and Rohit shines in first tour match

Sachin Tendulkar sounded a warning to Australia's depleted bowling attack by hitting a stylish 92 before retiring in India's drawn tour match against a Cricket Australia Chairman's XI on Friday.

Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Rohit Sharma scored half-centuries for India.

The two-day match ended prematurely due to rain at Manuka Oval with India on 6-320 in reply to the Chairman's XI's 6-398 declared.

Tendulkar is just one century short becoming the first cricketer to reach the historic milestone of a combined 100 hundreds in tests or limited-overs internationals.

He will get the opportunity to push for the landmark when India faces Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Dec. 26 in the first of four test matches.

After going to lunch at 13 not out on Friday, Tendulkar opened up with some free flowing strokes, including 15 boundaries, to show he is still in ominous touch at the age of 38 and on what will likely be his last tour of Australia.

Tendulkar put on a 133-run stand with VVS Laxman, who also retired at tea while on 57 off 76 balls.


Rahul Dravid, who was India captain for the first of the two tour matches against CA Chairman's selections, looked in good touch before he was caught by Peter George at mid-off on 45 after skying a ball by legspinner Cameron Boyce (2-74).

Opening pair Ajinkya Rahane and Gautam Gambhir shared just 38 runs before Rahane was caught off Jake Haberfield for 3 and Gambhir provided a simple catch to Ryan Broad at short cover off Glenn Maxwell (1-84).

Virat Kohli (1) was caught and bowled by Boyce.

Rohit Sharma was 56 not out when stumps was called. Laxman, who has performed exceptionally well in Australia throughout his career, also looked in impressive touch. He took just 76 balls for his unbeaten stint at the crease and found the fence nine times.

Tom Cooper and Wes Robinson scored centuries and shared a 226-run partnership for the Chairman's XI on Thursday after Dravid won the toss and elected to field.

Indian paceman Ishant Sharma bowled only 5.3 overs and appeared to struggle with an ankle problem as the Indian attack struggled to contain the aggressive batting in their tour opening match against the Australian Chairman's XI on Thursday.

The second tour match against a Chairmans XI starts on Monday.

Sri Lanka all out on 180; SA 23-0

Sri Lanka recovered from captain Tillakaratne Dilshan's early rush of blood to battle to 76 for three at lunch on the first day of the first test against South Africa on Thursday.
Sri Lanka were sent in to bat by South Africa in cloudy conditions providing plenty of assistance to the bowlers on a well-grassed pitch.
Dilshan controlled himself for his first half-dozen deliveries before rashly trying to on-drive a swinging delivery from Dale Steyn and looping a catch to Vernon Philander at wide mid-on.
Dilshan was out for six, bringing former captain Kumar Sangakkara to the crease but he lasted just three balls, scoring a single before Philander got a delivery to rear up at him and he edged the ball to second slip where Jacques Kallis took a well-judged catch lunging to his left.
Sri Lanka were teetering on 12 for two but Tharanga Paranavitana and the experienced Mahela Jayawardene batted with great concentration in a sensible third-wicket stand of 54.
The session looked in danger of ending disappointingly for South Africa, but a hushed crowd burst to life four overs before lunch when Philander made a delivery hold its line to the left-handed Paranavitana and bowled him through the gate for 32.
Jayawardene went to lunch on 23 not out with Thilan Samaraweera on six.
Philander was the best of the South African bowlers with figures of two for 30 from nine overs.
Steyn took one for 13 in six overs but the world's number one ranked bowler only occasionally produced his full pace.
Steyn's wicket was, however, his 250th in tests, the 28-year-old reaching the landmark in his 49th match.
Only Dennis Lillee has taken 250 wickets in fewer tests, the Australian fast bowler reaching the milestone in his 48th match.

India hammered in practise match

India's bowlers took a hammering and paceman Ishant Sharma failed to complete six overs as a

Ishant Sharma managed to bowl only 5.3 overs before he left the field

Chairman's XI rattled up 398 for six declared on the first day of the tourists' opening match in Australia on Thursday.
India won the toss and chose to bowl first in the two-day tour match at Manuka Oval, one of two warm-up matches they will play in the Australian capital before the first of four tests starts on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The tourists had said they wanted to use the match to give their relatively inexperienced bowlers plenty of practise in Australian conditions.
Opener Wes Robinson smashed 143 but South Australia's Tom Cooper, who has played for the Netherlands in one day internationals, bettered that with a brutal unbeaten 182 off 194 balls with 24 fours and three sixes. The pair shared a partnership of 226.
Right-arm paceman Umesh Yadav, who impressed in his first test series against West Indies last month, was the pick of the Indian bowlers, taking three wickets at a cost of 39 runs.


Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha was the most costly, taking two wickets for 149 to do his personal tussle with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for a test spot no good.
The Chairman's XI declared when Dean Solway was caught behind off the medium pace of Ranganath Vinay Kumar for five after 86 overs to bring up stumps.
The India side, which boasts a strong batting line-up featuring Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, will have the same number of overs, requiring 399 for victory on Friday.
Sharma bowled the first over but made a couple of trips off the pitch before departing for good midway through his sixth. A team spokesman said he had not suffered an injury.
India, who have never won a test series in Australia, play a three day match against a more experienced Chairman's XI on the same pitch starting next Monday.

Gavaskar disappointed with the BCCI u-turn

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has blasted the cricket board after its

Sunil Gavaskar at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai in 2010.

refusal to pay him $1 million fee per season for media activities involving the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The decision was taken at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) working committee meeting here Monday.
'BCCI has made a u-turn on my contract. I am baffled after reading reports that BCCI has refused to pay me my dues and my faith in BCCI has been shaken,' Gavaskar told NDTV.
Gavaskar said he got an assurance from BCCI president Sharad Pawar that his dues will be cleared.
'Sharad Pawar and Arun Jaitely both promised me on phone that my dues will be cleared. In fact, Sharad Pawar and Lalit Modi had promised me a Rs.4 crore IPL contract in 2007,' he said.

Gavaskar also criticised BCCI on Anil Kumble's resigning from the chairmanship of the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
'When someone of his (Anil's) credibility speaks about a programme then one should always discuss it properly. You may not agree with him 100 per cent but one should look at what he says. He has played the game at the highest level and has also suffered from injuries. So if he had a plan, it must have been for the benefit of players. The board could have told him that look this is expensive but we can try and make certain adjustments,' he said.

Watson, Marsh add to Aussie batting woes

Australia's beleaguered batting line-up faces fresh problems ahead of

Will Marsh and Watson be fit in time?

their series against India with Shaun Marsh unlikely to be fit for the first Test and question marks over Shane Watson's role.

Left-hander Marsh and opener-cum-all-rounder Watson had been expected to return from injury to shore up the top order after Monday's humiliating loss to New Zealand, when the hosts threw away their last eight wickets for 74 runs.

The first home defeat to New Zealand in 26 years was a heavy blow for a team which will face India on December 26 with veterans Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey in the firing line, and the young batsmen also mostly in poor touch.

As ex-Test great Shane Warne called for "brave decisions", new coach Mickey Arthur urged the selectors to decide where injury-prone Watson would bat and how much he would be asked to bowl. "It has been speculated about a huge amount," the South African said.

"We have to come to a point where we make a decision where Shane is going to bat in the batting order and how many overs we expect of him so there is no more debate about the issue."

Arthur added that Watson needed a "clear role definition" before the Melbourne Test, indicating he may be moved down the order. "We have to balance out how many overs we can possibly get out of him -- that is going to determine the balance of the team," he said. "There are a lot of unanswered questions in terms of selection."

However Watson, 30, told local media that although he is now close to recovering from his hamstring injury, he would probably not be able to bowl in the first Test. "At the moment things are progressing well," he told the Sydney Morning Herald. "Hopefully if everything continues to go well I'll definitely be fully fit to play on Boxing Day."
Arthur has given his backing to struggling Ponting and Hussey, but Warne said it was time for selectors to bring in new blood. "Some brave decisions need to be made in the interests of Australian cricket to make sure that the best things happen and Australian cricket is strong," he said Tuesday.

"That's life. Cricket is a performance-based game. If you don't perform you shouldn't be playing." He added: "Have we hung on to someone too long? Is there someone else we need to get in there? All those types of questions will be asked so it's a tough one for the selectors."

Meanwhile Marsh has been ruled out of the second tour match against India starting Monday after failing to recover from a back injury, and is "unlikely" to play in Melbourne, according to team performance manager Pat Howard.

NZ happy by winning a test against Aussies

New Zealand celebrated "an early Christmas" Tuesday with

front-page media praise for a rare cricket victory over Australia and disbelief that chief wicket taker Doug Bracewell was not man of the match.

"Ho Ho Hobart, Christmas cheer for Black Caps", trumpeted The Press, the New Zealand Herald hailed "Doug the destroyer, six of the best" and the Dominion Post described Bracewell as the "Wizard of Oz".

The New Zealand Black Caps had been largely written off by their own fans following their nine-wicket thrashing in the first Test which extended a 26-year winless run in Australia.

But the dramatic seven-run win in the second Test in Hobart to level the series spun the sentiment around.

Captain Ross Taylor's remark that the historic win "was for the New Zealand public an early Christmas present" was pounced on by the media as the victory slogan."Christmas cheer for Black Caps," said The Press as Radio New Zealand rated the drought-breaking win as "one of the most remarkable" in New Zealand's cricket history".


Bracewell struck when New Zealand were on the ropes with Australia only requiring 82 runs with eight wickets in hand to take the match. Three wickets in 15 balls to remove Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey on his way to match figures of 6-40 thrust the 21-year-old speedster into the limelight in only his third Test.


The Press hailed him as a "budding superstar" and the Dominion Post said the match turned on Bracewell's "magical spell" to secure New Zealand's first triumph in Australia since 1985 when Richard Hadlee was in his prime. "The result doesn't suddenly make New Zealand world beaters. But it does show what is possible with skill, perseverance and heart," wrote Herald columnist David Leggat.

But the celebrations carried criticism that match-winner Bracewell was overlooked as man-of-the-match in favour of Australian century-maker David Warner. The award was decided by a public phone-in vote instead if the traditional selection by a panel of experts and 60 percent voted for Warner. "That's just ridiculous," tweeted former Black Iain O'Brien comparing a century for the losing side against a six-wicket bag for the winning team. Another former international Andre Adams added a touch of sarcasm with his tweet saying he supposed "Doug's spell of 6-26 off 9 didn't have any impact".

Arthur wants Ponting and Hussey in the team

ustralia coach Mickey Arthur on Tuesday backed struggling senior

Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting are expected to make the Boxing Day squad

batsmen Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey to retain their team places for the Boxing Day Test with India in Melbourne.

Arthur said there were no plans to manage the Test exits of former skipper Ponting and Hussey after they both struggled for runs in Australia's humiliating seven-run loss to New Zealand in Hobart on Monday.

Ponting, whose 158 Tests have seen him become the third greatest Test runscorer, and Hussey are fighting for their spots, but Arthur said their experience was vital in the transitional Australian team.

"We are certainly not managing yet how they go out of the side and in my opinion they've still got big roles to play because we do need some experience within our middle order and they bring that experience that we need," he said. "We haven't even come to any thought on how we manage any exit of any of those players. The key for us is to get them up firing for Australia come Boxing Day because they are key."

Arthur backed Ponting, who turns 37 next week, to play in the showpiece Boxing Day Test against the second-ranked Indians. "I think he should (bat on to Boxing Day). I've already had a chat with (selector) Rod Marsh and (captain) Michael Clarke and we're trying to give ourselves a bit of direction to Boxing Day," he said.
"I think Ricky still fits firmly in that picture at the moment."

But the picture did not look bright for under-fire opening batsman Phillip Hughes, who was again caught in the slips off Kiwi seamer Chris Martin's bowling for the fourth time in a row in the series against New Zealand.

Clarke said that Hughes may have to return to state cricket to rediscover his touch after his latest Test batting failure and Arthur was unsure whether Hughes would remain in the Australian side for Boxing Day. "By his own admission there is a bit of technical work that he needs to do but again a very good young cricketer," Arthur said. "Whether that's enough for him to play on Boxing Day I'm not sure. That will be a discussion we will have in a couple of days' time."

Arthur said injured allrounder Shane Watson, who missed both Tests against New Zealand, would be assessed well before the MCG Test to "determine the balance of the team". "We've got to come to a point now where we make a decision on where Shane's going to bat in the order and how many overs we expect from him so there can be no more debate around the issue," he said.

Arthur, who is South African, said Australia's batsmen would be working hard to improve their techniques against the swinging ball after the New Zealand Test. "The swinging ball again was something that exposed us a little bit and that's going to be top of the agenda to work on before the Boxing Day Test," he said.

"I think if we can get a couple of extra days into our batters, just sharpen them up and their techniques, I think that will be invaluable ahead of what is a massive series for Australia."

Pitch Report: Sri Lanka Vs South Africa 1st test, centurion

Sri Lanka could face difficulty when they take on the South Africa in the first Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion on December 15, if statistics are anything to go by.
South Africa has lost one, won 12 and drawn three Tests out of the16 Test matches played at the venue.
Sri Lanka has also lost all three past Test matches in SuperSport Park, Centurion
South Africa won their last Test match at the ground by an inning and 25 runs against India.
The groundsman, Hilbert Smit, said the pitch would help the home team.
"You just have to try and advance the South African strong points without taking it too far. I believe there should be enough grass on, while the surface should be hard.
It's also all about timing. You don't want the pitch to be ready two days before the Test but on the morning of the Test itself," The Sport 24 quoted Smit, as saying.
Smit said he always tries to make the pitch slightly helpful for the bowlers on the first morning of the Test match.
He strives for a pitch that keeps captains of both teams guessing before the toss

Warne to make comeback with burned hand

Cricket legend Shane Warne said Tuesday he was almost certain

Shane Warne Tweets Cooking Injury Picture

to make his comeback in Australia's revamped Twenty20 competition as planned, despite burning his hand badly while cooking.

Sporting a heavily bandaged hand, the former Test champion gave himself a "95 percent chance" of playing in the opening match for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League against the Sydney Thunder in Melbourne on Saturday night. "It should be fine by Saturday," he told reporters.

Warne's kitchen accident left his bowling hand and fingers with blisters, including "a couple of awkward ones on the spinning fingers".

He brushed off suggestions he could wear bandages or a glove to stop the wounds ripping open during the match. "Bowling legspin is all about feel so if I put a glove on I'm not sure I can tweak them down there that well," he said. "I'm hoping I won't need that and I'll be ready to go."

The 42-year-old said while he hoped to take the field, he would not play unless his hand was healed enough for him to bowl properly. "If I won't be able to bowl then I won't be playing -- that would let the team down," he said.

Warne apparently called an end to his stellar cricket career at the Indian Premier League (IPL) in May but recently confirmed he would play with the Melbourne Stars, saying he had never been fitter. The cricketer said part of his desire to return for the Big Bash was so his three children could watch him, and agreed it was an "added bonus" that his British fiancee Liz Hurley would be there too.

Warne, who has not played Test cricket since helping Australia to a 5-0 Ashes whitewash over England in January 2007, had led the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL until this year.

Nimbus loses telecast rights

It was a double whammy for Nimbus Sports Monday. The Indian cricket board terminated its telecast rights contract for defaulting on paymentments and it was also forced to put off its much-touted World Series Hockey (WSH) till after the Olympic qualifiers in February.
There was speculation for quite some time that Nimbus would not only lose the TV rights but also may not be able to fund the WSH. It may be a setback for Nimbus as far as telecast rights are concerned, but the postponement of the league must have come as a big relief at this juncture when it has to sink in a huge amount to run it.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), contrary to expectations that it would give Nimbus a little more time to make the payments, chose to scrap the deal and look for a new contract. Nimbus' contract, which was renewed in 2009, was to run till 2014.
Nimbus, which has first signed a four-year deal in 2005-06 and renewed it after being offered first right of refusal, said it would react only after hearing officially from the BCCI.
'They have defaulted, they have not made the 50 percent advance payment for both the England and the West Indies series and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had no choice but to terminate the deal,' said Rajiv Shukla, chairman of the Indian Premier League.
Another member stated that Nimbus paid Rs.24 crore Monday morning, but still owed Rs.85 crore to Rs.88 crore and the BCCI did not want to continue with a defaulter. The immediate offshoot of the decision is that there will be no telecast of domestic tournaments. A big casualty is the next round of Ranji Trophy matches which will not be telecast.
With no international cricket matches scheduled in India for the next eight months, the board has apparently felt it was the right time to terminate the contract and enter into a fresh deal.
Unlike the cricket imbroglio, Nimbus will get breathing space to reschedule the WSH league.
The league, a joint venture of Nimbus and the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), was to kick off on December 17 here, but with almost all the India players deciding to join the Dec 11-Jan 15 national camp in Bangalore for the Olympic qualifiers, the organisers had no choice but to postpone the highly hyped Rs 10 crore proffessional league to February 29-April 1. The Olympic qualifiers will be held February 16-25.
IANS had reported the WSH would be postponed in view of an appeal by India captain Bharat Chettri that the players would prefer the league to be played after the qualifiers. Both the organisers as well as the Union sports ministry took the line of least resistance by putting it off.
Both the IHF bosses and a source in the sports ministry told IANS that it took some hard bargaining and persuasion with the broadcasters, franchises and sponsors to get the the league put off as it involved huge sponsorship money and logistical problems.
The IHF and sports ministry officials met Monday to carry forward their discussions with Sports Minister Ajay Maken last week and it was strongly felt that nothing should be done that could effect India's chances of qualifying for the London olympics, more so after the uproar in the wake of their failing to make it to the Beijing Games.
The ministry is likely to take up the organisers' fears that the Hockey India (HI) might put hurdles in releasing the national players even after the qualifiers.
An HI source refused to react saying it would be no position to hazard guess what would happen once India qualify for the Olympics. 'It is too premature to make any commitment now.'
IHF president R.K. Shetty told IANS that the organisers did not want to put any pressure on the players when they were preparing for such an important international event and hoped HI would reciprocate in the right spirit.
'We are in touch with the players and they all want to play in WSH. But we know how HI has gone about things. We do not want to put the players under any pressure before an important event like Olympics qualifiers. We hope HI also acts in a similar spirit,' he said.
Shetty pointed out that it was huge decision, considering that international players, coaches and officials of the eight city-based franchisees have started arriving.
Shetty said they will soon take a decision on whether to keep these people here for a camp or not.

When Bhajji get robbed

Thieves broke into cricketer Harbhajan Singh's car while he had stopped by at a popular cafe near Karnal town Monday evening and took away his laptop and other belongings, police said.
The thieves broke the window panes of Harbhajan Singh's Ford Endeavour sports utility vehicle (SUV) on

the busy National Highway No. 1 (NH-1) near Karnal town in Haryana, 130 km from state capital Chandigarh, police said.
They are said to have taken away his laptop, passport and a bag containing credit cards and other documents.
The incident took place around 6 p.m. Monday outside Cafe Coffee Day outlet at Madhuban near here.
The cricketer had stopped at a popular cafe near Karnal town while on his way from his hometown Jalandhar in Punjab to New Delhi.
Harbhajan was inside the cafe when the SUV was vandalized by the thieves.
Police sources said that he immediately called the police for help.
While the cricketer, who was recently dropped from the Indian test and ODI side owing to poor form, proceeded towards New Delhi after the incident, the police said that it was investigating his complaint.

Pakistan won the 1st test

Abdur Rehman grabbed four wickets as Pakistan thrashed Bangladesh by an innings and 184 runs on the penultimate day of the opening Test in Chittagong on Monday.

The left-arm spinner finished with 4-88 as Bangladesh, trailing by 459 runs, were bowled out for 275 in their second innings after lunch to suffer their 62nd defeat in 72 Tests.

Rehman, off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and paceman Aizaz Cheema shared five wickets that fell on a fourth-day track offering help to spinners after Bangladesh had resumed at 134-4.

Fast bowler Rubel Hossain did not bat due a shoulder injury, suffered while fielding on Sunday. Debutant Mohammed Nazimuddin (78), Shakib Al Hasan (51) and skipper  Mushfiqur Rahim (49) were the main run-getters for Bangladesh.

Cheema ended the innings when he had Shahadat Hossain (21) caught by Umar Gul in the covers in his first over with the second new ball.

Rehman dismissed well-set Nazimuddin and former captain Shakib in the morning session before accounting for Rahim to finish the match with seven wickets after having taken three in the first innings. Ajmal was the other wicket-taker in the morning when he bowled Mohammad Mahmudullah for no score.

Nazimuddin was involved in two stands, adding 78 runs for the fifth wicket with Shakib and 47 for the next with Rahim before being caught by Ajmal at mid-off. Opener Nazimuddin, 41 overnight, hit two sixes and nine fours in his 186-ball knock.

Nazimuddin, who was the second-highest scorer in the first innings with 31, defied the Pakistani attack for more than an hour and completed his half-century when he turned Rehman to deep mid-wicket for three runs.

He then played a couple of big shots, lofting Rehman over extra cover and then Ajmal over mid-wicket for sixes. He gave two chances off Ajmal after completing his half-century but wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal missed both.

Bangladesh had added only 24 runs to their overnight total when Shakib was trapped leg-before by Rehman after hitting eight fours in his ninth Test half-century.

Pakistan had on Sunday posted a mammoth 594-5 declared in their first innings in reply to Bangladesh's 135, with Younis Khan (200 not out), Mohammad Hafeez (143) and Asad Shafiq (104) being the main scorers. The second and final Test starts in Dhaka on Saturday.

Philip Hughes needs to score: Clarke

Phillip Hughes may have to return to state cricket to rediscover his touch after another batting failure in Australia's shock second Test loss to New Zealand, skipper Michael Clarke said on Monday.

The opener's Test future once again looks uncertain ahead of the India series after he fell early on the fourth day as Australia collapsed to 233 all out, handing the Kiwis a seven run victory at Bellerive Oval. Hughes was again found out outside off-stump and was caught in the slips for 20 off Chris Martin's bowling for the fourth straight innings.

His poor form - the struggling left-hander scored 41 in four innings against the Kiwis - will intensify pressure on his spot ahead of the Test series with India, which starts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day.

While Hughes' technique flounders, opening batting partner David Warner built a strong case for his retention by carrying his bat through the second innings with an unbeaten 123. Clarke indicated that Hughes could try to cure his shattered confidence with a spell for his home state New South Wales.

"He's obviously really disappointed like all the batters are for the way we played today, but Hughesy is probably most disappointed he's been getting out the same way," Clarke said.

"He needs to find some runs, it's as simple as that. If he's not making them for Australia, he's going to have to go to back to New South Wales and find them there."

Should he be dropped for the India Test opener, Hughes will have to find form in the helter-skelter of the Twenty20 Big Bash League with no four-day Sheffield Shield matches listed until early February.

"There's no four-day cricket now for NSW either, unfortunately, we go back and play Twenty20 cricket so if that's the case for people to get dropped from this team they're going to have to play Twenty20 cricket to score some runs," Clarke said.

"I'm not sure how it's going to work, so you'll have to be picked in the Test team from the Big Bash. "He needs some runs, but he's not the only one. I want to make that very clear."

Clarke was asked at his post-match news conference if he would be confident taking the beaten Hobart Test team into the Boxing Day blockbuster against India.

"If the selectors decide this is the best 11 players to win the game on Boxing Day then I think it would be, but it's something that obviously needs to be discussed over the next few days," he said.

"To be honest the last thing I've been thinking about over the last few days is selection, I've been trying to get my head around winning this Test match, but now... no doubt I will be on the phone talking with the selectors about what the best squad is."

Clarke said inconsistency was frustrating the Australian team, with just three wins in eight Tests under his captaincy.

"You're seeing some really good patches of individual excellence and as a team we're playing really well in patches, but then you see the other side as well where we're letting ourselves down with very poor performances," he said. "We're inconsistent at the minute which is giving us all a pain in the backside."

Warner hits century

David Warner hopes he has finally laid to rest the notion that he is only a Twenty20 specialist after scoring his maiden Test century in Australia's second Test loss to New Zealand on Monday.

Warner has made his fortune belting runs in the shorter form of the game but was almost a national hero as he carried his bat in an unbeaten 123 off 170 balls as Australia went down by seven runs to the Kiwis at Bellerive Oval.

The diminutive 25-year-old left-hander became only the 10th Australian opening batsman to bat right through an innings and the first since Simon Katich's 131 against New Zealand in Brisbane three years ago. Warner joins the select company of Australian Test greats Mark Taylor, David Boon, Ian Redpath, Bill Lawry, Bill Brown and Warwick Armstrong.

He hopes he has ended talk that he is a Twenty20 typecast now that he has a Test century in only his second Test match and is expected to face India in the Boxing Day opening Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

"As a kid growing up you 100 percent want to keep striving to get that baggy green (cap) and now I've got it I want to hold on to it as long as I can," Warner said. "I want to keep doing that and I've always wanted to prove to people that I can play the longer form."

"Now it's overwhelming what I've done today and I've just proved to people that I can play the longer form."

Warner reached his century when he tucked Doug Bracewell behind square leg for two shortly after lunch and excitedly greeted his achievement with a leap into the air and a kiss on his helmet.

"To achieve a milestone like that is always fantastic, but at the end of the day we lost and it's disappointing more to be out there and eight runs to go and not get across the line," he said.

Warner was a little sheepish to be awarded the man-of-the-match ahead of Kiwi match-winner Bracewell on the strength of a poll of Australian television viewers.

"I was a bit surprised. Obviously Doug bowled very well and credit to him, he bowled fantastic and on a losing side you don't often see a man of the match but at the end of the day I've just got to take that through the voters," he said.

Warner is now expected to keep his Test spot with NSW teammate Phillip Hughes coming under increasing pressure after getting out again edging to the slips. "Obviously, there were patches there where I played at some balls where I didn't really need to," Warner said.

"I'm only still learning so at the end of the day whatever game I next play I have to be a bit more cautious and be a bit more tight in my defence and hopefully I can keep playing my natural game."

Australia series is much different: Gautam Gambhir

While expressing happiness over India's 4-1 series win against the West Indies here on Sunday, stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir cautioned that the forthcoming tour of Australia would be a 'different ball game' that will put to test both the technique and mental toughness of the players.
'It always helps to get runs under your belt, but in Australia, those are different conditions. We all know this is not what we are going to get in Australia. The Australians are tough nuts to crack and will come hard at us,' he said at a post-match media interaction here after India beat the West Indies in the fifth and concluding game.
'In Australia, your mental toughness will be tested the maximum. You will be getting a quality attack and they will be coming hard at you. I think one good thing is the guys that have gone early (to Australia) will be able to acclimatise (to the conditions). And we're playing two practice games this time,' he said.
Gambhir also sought to play down his captaincy record of six wins out of six by saying that he was only as good as the teams he had.
'I'll stick to the saying that the captain is as good as his team. One captain can't win you the game; it is still 11 people on the park. I am lucky to have such teammates, during the series against New Zealand, I was lucky to have Yuvraj Singh. Today the team-mates stood up and delivered,' he asserted.

There is no another Muralitharan: Sangakkara

Any effort by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to find another Muttiah Muralitharan would prove futile as cricket will never see a bowler like the legendary off-spinner, wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara has said.
"You get one Murali and that's about it really. Again it's important for us to come to terms with that. We're not looking for the next Murali, we're looking for the next best spinner to come and win games for us," Sport24 quoted Sangakkara, as saying.
"He might not take 800 wickets, but I think the guys we have on tour are good enough to do that job for us. Murali was probably one of the slowest bowlers to 200 Test wickets, they're not born overnight. It comes from years and years of hard work," he added.
Averaging over six wickets per Test, Muralitharan was one of the most successful bowlers in the game.
He is the highest wicket-taker in both Test cricket and in ODIs.
Muralitharan announced his retirement from Test cricket after the first Test against India at Galle in July 2010. During that match he became the first to reach the milestone of taking 800 Test wickets by dismissing Pragyan Ojha.

Doug Bracewell wind up Aussies

Seamer Doug Bracewell bowled New Zealand to a sensational seven-run victory over Australia in the second Test in Hobart on Monday for the Kiwis' first win in Australia for 26 years.

The Black Caps captured eight wickets for 74 runs for a dramatic victory midway through the fourth day of an extraordinary Test match at Bellerive Oval.

Seamer Doug Bracewell finished with six for 40.

Bracewell finished with 6-40 off 16.4 overs in a match-winning performance to stun the Australians, who appeared on track for victory at 159 for two chasing 241 runs to win.

Struggling Hughes 'needs runs' says Clarke
Warner's Test century buries T20 typecast

But the Australians folded spectacularly and David Warner's unbeaten maiden Test century went in vain as wickets tumbled around him and Nathan Lyon was bowled by Bracewell in the 64th over to claim victory.

It was the Black Caps' first victory in Australia since 1985 as they tied the two-Test series after comprehensively losing the first Gabba Test by nine wickets.

"We believed in ourselves that we could win this match. We knew we had to fight, we had to play a lot better than we did in Brisbane," skipper Ross Taylor said.

Bracewell turned the match around with the wickets of Ricky Ponting (16), Michael Clarke (0), Michael Hussey (0), James Pattinson (4), Mitchell Starc (0) and Lyon (9).

"He bowled outstandingly well for a young guy, 21, and to come in only his third Test and to get Ponting, Clarke and Hussey, that's something to tell your grandkids about," Taylor said of Bracewell.

Clarke said his team were proving too inconsistent with their third defeat in eight Tests under his captaincy.

"You're seeing some really good patches of individual excellence and as a team we're playing really well in patches, but then you see the other side as well where we're letting ourselves down with very poor performances," he said.

"We're inconsistent at the minute which is giving us all a pain in the backside."

Warner carried his bat to finish unbeaten on 123 off 170 balls with 14 boundaries to cement his Test position after fellow opener Phillip Hughes was out again cheaply.

Warner surprisingly was preferred to Bracewell as official man-of-the-match in a television viewers' poll.

Wickets continued to fall around Warner with Brad Haddin snapped up by Ross Taylor in the slips off Tim Southee and Peter Siddle taken at third slip off Southee for two.

Bracewell removed Pattinson and Starc within three balls to have the Black Caps one wicket away from victory after Australia had lost seven wickets for 40.

Lyon survived two tense reviews for lbw as Warner went after the runs against a spreadeagled field before Bracewell finished the game when he bowled Lyon.

Ponting's possible final Test innings in his home state finished in a whimper after he was given a standing ovation to the wicket.

Test cricket's third-highest runscorer spooned a catch to cover after playing back to Bracewell and was out for 16 after scoring just five in the first innings.

Clarke was caught at slip by Taylor and Hussey was out first ball lbw after a review went in bowler Bracewell's favour.

Hughes's Test future again looked uncertain after he was out in the day's second over with no addition to his overnight score of 20.

It was the fourth straight time Hughes was caught by Martin Guptill in the slips off Chris Martin's bowling in the series.

His latest batting failure -- 41 in four innings against the Kiwis -- will intensify the pressure on his spot ahead of the Test series with India, starting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day.

While Hughes's technical deficiencies outside offstump continued to hound him, Warner built a strong case for his retention, possibly partnering Shane Watson against India.

Usman Khawaja again failed to go on after getting a start and went to drive Trent Boult only to give an edge to Taylor at first slip. Khawaja made 23 off 48 balls.