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.

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.

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.

"India will miss Bhajji in Australia", says Gilchrist

Former Australian captain Adam Gilchrist feels that Harbhajan Singh will be missed by India during their tour Down Under as the feisty off-spinner can get under the skin of the champion team.
Harbhajan's slump in form has paved the way for two young spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha to be picked for the four-Test series against Australia.
'Bhajji is a great competitor, his fighting qualities are admirable, he is very much like an Australian that way. He will be missed. But a player has to be picked on performances,' Gilchrist told reporters when asked about the exclusion of the turbanator.
'Ashwin and Ojha have set very high standards,' he added.
India's tour to Australia starts Dec 26 and with both teams fielding new faces in their bowling attack.
Gilchrist feels that the bowlers will play the key role in deciding the series.
'It is a series that's quite difficult to predict. Both teams are equal, the batting of both the teams are the strong points, while injury has plagued both the bowling line-ups.'
'Whichever bowling line-up settles down first that team will have the upper hand,' Gilchrist said on the sidelines of a promotional campaign on behalf of University of Wollongong in New South Wales.
India will be taking an inexperienced bowling attack, with the likes of Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav and Abhimanyu Mithun, all touring Australia for the first time.
Australia, on the other hand, are having an injury crisis with Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson, Pat Cummins and Shane Watson currently side-lined.
Gilchrist felt that India-Australia contests are of high intensity and among the best sporting rivalries in the world.
'The rivalry between India-Australia is terrific. I was a part of the 2001 series and it was one of the best series ever.'
'Any series India play is an interesting one, the Indian people are very passionate about he sport. I love coming to India it's a fascinating country.'
'I continue to come stay here 2-3 months every year with the IPL and other things,' he said.

Heel bone injury to Cummins

Australia's teenage pace sensation Pat Cummins will likely miss the bulk of the home Test series against India with a bone stress heel injury, Cricket Australia said on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old fast bowler suffered the injury during his man-of-the-match debut in last month's second Johannesburg Test against South Africa.
It was initially thought to be bruising but new scans have revealed a bone stress problem and Cummins is unlikely to bowl again until early to mid-January, CA said.

India begin their four Test series against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day with further Tests in Sydney, Perth and Adelaide throughout January.
"By the end of last week it was apparent to all of us managing him that he was progressing slower than expected for a soft tissue injury of the heel," Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said on Wednesday.
"As such we arranged for him to see a foot specialist and had further scans that have identified a bone component to his injury that was not evident on the original scans. We now believe that Patrick has a bone stress injury as well as the fat pad injury (soft tissue injury)."
Kountouris said Cummins was not likely to resume bowling until after the opening two Tests against India.
The third Test against India is in Perth from January 13-17 and the fourth and final Test at Adelaide Oval from January 24-28. Cummins still has his sights on playing some role in the Test series.
He told reporters he did not have a date for his return to cricket but he aimed to play in the subsequent Twenty20 series against India and tri-nation one-day series also involving Sri Lanka, and possibly even some Test cricket.
"Hopefully the one-day series and the Twenty20," he said. "Maybe I'll even be back in the Test."
The teenager played down concern about the more serious diagnosis and was planning to rest until the Christmas period, when he will again test out his heel. "It will only make a few weeks' difference," he said.
"We thought there might have been something more to it because it took a bit longer to heal. Obviously, it's disappointing but hopefully it doesn't make too much of a difference."
Cummins was acclaimed as Australia's newest pace bowling star when he captured six for 79 in South Africa's second innings to set up an exciting two-wicket win in the Johannesburg Test last month.
But he has not played since and was rested from last week's first Test win against New Zealand at the Gabba.
The youngster's setback continues to drain Australia's fast bowling stocks following Mitchell Johnson's foot surgery last week which will sideline the left-armer for five months.

Not feeling sorry about captaincy: Ponting

Ricky Ponting said Wednesday he has no regrets about quitting the Australian captaincy and welcomes having fewer responsibilities ahead of this week's second Test against New Zealand.
Ponting led Australia in 77 Tests before he stood down as Test and one-day skipper after the World Cup earlier this year, making way for deputy Michael Clarke to take charge.

Ponting, who turns 37 this month, has continued as a batsman in the Test team and is lining up for his seventh and possibly final Test at Hobart's Bellerive Oval where he began his first-class career with Tasmania in 1992.
It is rare for former Australian captains to continue playing on under a new leader and Ponting was asked at a press conference whether he had adjusted to his new role.
"It's a lot of fun actually not being the captain," Ponting laughed.
"Am I adjusting? Just the same way I was before when I was captain. I just want to be the best member of the team that I can possibly be. And that's by trying to do the best I can by scoring runs and trying to offer advice and help young guys along the way and be there as an extra pair of eyes or ears for the captain if he needs me as well."
Ponting, lining up for his 158th Test match, said he felt more relaxed without the added responsibilities associated with being team captain.
"Actually, it's a lot more relaxing for me just to be an everyday player," he said.
"Just to turn up and get my batting and fielding work done and go and sit in the changerooms and not have to think about the wicket conditions or picking teams and anything like that.
"It's a bit of a load off my plate to be an everyday player again."
He said he had no regrets about giving up the captaincy. "When I made the decision to stand down there was obviously going to be a lot of thought into making that decision because I was standing down from one of the best jobs in the world," he said.
"I don't have any regrets about standing down. I did it because I felt it was the right time and I did it to try and make myself the player that I wanted to be."
He said also part of his thinking was to give his successor Clarke time to gain experience ahead of the India series which starts this month and the next Ashes series in England in 2013.
Ponting, the third highest Test runscorer with 12,635 runs, averages 80 in six Tests at Bellerive and scored 209 against Pakistan in his last Hobart in January last year.
"It's very rare that I get the chance to come back and play international games down here in front of my home crowd and family," he said. "It always has a little bit of extra meaning to play this game. I never had much success early on but the last couple of visits down here have been pretty good. I am looking forward to this week."

New Zealand eyes on 2nd test against Australia

New Zealand will try to heap the pressure on out-of-form Australian opening batsman Phillip Hughes as they seek to level the series with victory in the second and final Test starting Friday.
The heat is off former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin after good performances in the home side's comprehensive nine-wicket victory over the Black Caps in the first Gabba Test.

Ponting hit 78 and Haddin 80 in the first innings after speculation on their Test futures following a run of low scores, but the spotlight has now shifted to left-hander Hughes and his technical flaws outside off-stump.
Hughes has passed 36 just twice in his past 17 Test innings and with all-rounder Shane Watson (hamstring) and Shaun Marsh (back) on track to return from injuries in the Boxing Day Test against India, the opener's position appears vulnerable.
His six-ball failure on Sunday as Australia reeled off the 19 runs for victory in their second innings, highlighted his weakness. His average has dived from 69 after three Tests in 2009 to 36.
There have been calls for Usman Khawaja to move up the batting order to opener and make room for uncapped allrounder Dan Christian, who has been added to the Australian squad following a side strain to fast bowler Ben Cutting.
New Zealand captain Ross Taylor could not disguise his relish when asked if he wanted Hughes to play in the Hobart Test. "I�d love him to be in the team," Taylor said after the Gabba Test.
"We had a lot of video footage of all the Australian players and Hughes got caught at second, third slip and gully a lot in the Ashes and in South Africa. That was definitely an area we wanted to target, and with the way Chris Martin bowls, he bowls across the left-hander."
Martin claimed Hughes's wicket twice at the Gabba, both times caught by Martin Guptill in the slips.
Senior Australian batsman Mike Hussey believes Hughes should continue playing his natural attacking game. "I just think it's important for him to keep a real clear mind and to keep playing his way," Hussey said.
"He's had success playing his way. He's still put together some really good scores for us in difficult conditions in Sri Lanka (126) and South Africa (88). He works extremely hard and he knows the areas he needs to work on."
Australia remained unbeaten at the Gabba since 1988 with their emphatic victory over New Zealand, who are without a Test win in Australia since 1985.
"We don�t play as much Test cricket as some of the other nations but we need to learn quicker than we are at the moment," Taylor said. "That�s the ultimate goal, to apply pressure for as long as possible and absorb it as for as long as possible as well."
Australia unearthed another match-winning fast bowler in 21-year-old James Pattinson, who took five for 27 to help rout New Zealand for 150 in their second innings at the Gabba.
Michael Clarke has welcomed the inclusion of Christian in the squad. "He gives us options and that's what we're looking at in regards to the wicket in Hobart," Clarke said.
"We don't know what we're going to get. It is always nice to have another option in regards to your bowling."
Australia have never lost a Test in the total of nine played at Hobart's Bellerive Oval, although the Kiwis have drawn twice in three Tests at the ground.

Daniel Christian added in Australian squad for 2nd test against NZ

Daniel Christian was added Monday to the Australian squad for this week's second and final Test against New Zealand in Hobart as the home side look to wrap up a series win.
The South Australian allrounder, yet to make his Test debut, was included following a side strain injury to paceman Ben Cutting while injured Shane Watson, Pat Cummins, Ryan Harris and Shaun Marsh were not considered.
Australia go into the match starting on Friday leading the series 1-0 after Sunday's emphatic nine-wicket victory over the Black Caps in the Gabba Test inside four days.

Debutant paceman James Pattinson turned in a man-of-the-match performance with 5-27 in New Zealand's second innings of 150 to set the Australians just 19 runs for victory. "It is disappointing for Ben that he will be sidelined for some weeks with a side strain, but this provides an opportunity for Daniel, who has been performing well as an allrounder for South Australia," chief selector John Inverarity said.
"The balance of a team is always enhanced by the presence of an energetic allrounder who is in good form."
"Michael Clarke and his team are buoyant after their convincing victory in Brisbane," Inverarity said.
"James Pattinson's performance on debut will provide a great boost not only to the team as a whole but to those who are new to the team in particular."
Australia team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said opening batsman Shane Watson was making good progress after a right hamstring injury and was on track for the Boxing Day Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Teenage paceman Cummins, man-of-the-match in Australia's two-wicket win over South Africa in Johannesburg last month, is still recovering from a left heel injury.
Harris is set to resume bowling this week after recovering from a pelvic injury, while Marsh is progressing well after a lower back injury sustained in South Africa.
Kountouris said Cutting, who was in the squad for the first Test but left out of the starting eleven, injured his left abdominal muscle in a side strain injury playing a domestic Sheffield Shield game for Queensland on Friday.
Left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson had surgery last week for a left foot injury and is expected to be out of action for five months.
Australia squad - Michael Clarke (capt), David Warner, Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Dan Christian.

Pattinson helped Aussies to win over NZ

Debutant paceman James Pattinson spearheaded Australia to a crushing nine-wicket victory in the first Test against New Zealand inside four days at the Gabba on Sunday.
Pattinson snared five for 27 including three wickets in four balls to help rout the Black Caps for 150 off 49.4 overs and leave Michael Clarke's Australians needing just 19 runs for victory.

David Warner hit three fours off four balls to get the winning runs for the loss of Phil Hughes' wicket to take a 1-0 series lead to Hobart next Friday.
Pattinson narrowly missed a hat-trick in his debut Test as he ripped through the New Zealand top order to put Australia on the path to victory.
The 21-year-old fast bowler took 5-7 in seven overs as he skittled the Kiwis.
Spinner Nathan Lyon chipped in with three for 19 to finish with seven wickets for the match as the Australians were set just 19 runs to win.
Pattinson, bowling a full length at searing pace, removed Martin Guptill (12), Kane Williamson (0) and skipper Ross Taylor (0) in the space of four balls in his opening over of the day.
Guptill could not keep down a lifter and popped an easy catch to Usman Khawaja at bat-pad to start the rot.
Williamson was out two balls later, edging to Ricky Ponting at second slip and Taylor was out next ball snicking to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin to leave Pattinson on a hat-trick in his debut Test match.
Jesse Ryder barely survived Pattinson's hat-trick ball, a 150 km/h yorker to finish his fifth over with figures of 4-1 and leave New Zealand clinging on at 17 for four.
Damien Fleming is the only Australian to have taken a hat-trick on his Test debut, against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 1994.
England's Maurice Allom and New Zealander Peter Petherick also captured hat-tricks on Test debut.
Nightwatchman Doug Bracewell became Pattinson's fifth victim, falling to a full delivery on offstump and was caught behind by Haddin for two, leaving the Black Caps at 28 for five in the 13th over.
Pattinson, who was selected for the first Test after just nine first-class matches, surpassed his previous best first-class figures of 4-52 for his state Victoria.
Captain Michael Clarke introduced the offspin of Lyon in the 22nd over and Ryder was lured into a false shot to Mike Hussey at mid-off.
Ryder hit six fours in his 36 in 63 minutes but the Kiwis badly needed someone to occupy the crease.
Warner's first ball in Test cricket almost claimed a wicket when Brownlie on 34 was put down by a diving Pattinson on the deep mid-wicket boundary minutes before lunch.
But Vettori fell when he attempted to cut part-timer Hussey to Clarke at slip for 17 with two balls left to lunch.
After lunch Lyon grabbed the wickets of Tim Southee and Chris Martin while Peter Siddle removed Dean Brownlie for 42.
Hughes was dropped before he was caught next ball at third slip off Chris Martin as Australia took just 14 balls to hit the winning runs.
Warner smashed Bracewell for successive boundaries to seal the win.

Philip Hughes to miss India tour

With the Cricket CA selection panel under pressure to strike the right balance in the batting order, it is being said that opening batsman Phillip Hughes needs a big score in the second Test against New Zealand or must be discarded for the four-match series against India.
Hughes had a wondrous start to his Test career, scoring 415 runs at an average of 69.17 in his maiden series against South Africa, but his numbers since leave him vulnerable to the axe, Fox Sports reports.

Since that series, the 23-year-old has scored 626 runs from his past 13 Tests at an average of 28.45.
Hughes also has only two scores above 36 in his past 16 Test digs.
With scores of 10 and 7, he has also failed in the opening Test against New Zealand in Brisbane. (ANI)

Praveen Kumar to miss Australia tests

Indian seamer Praveen Kumar has been ruled out of next month's Test series in Australia after fracturing a rib, the Indian cricket board announced on Tuesday.
"Praveen Kumar underwent a scan last evening and was found to have a fractured rib as per the report that came through today," the board said in a statement.

"He is expected to recover in five-six weeks and has therefore been ruled out of the (ongoing) one-day series against the West Indies as well as the Test series in Australia that follows."
Kumar's replacement for the Australia tour will be named on December 5, the statement added.
The 25-year-old has bagged 27 wickets in six Tests and 69 wickets in 61 one-day internationals.
India open the three-month tour on December 15 with two practice matches in Canberra ahead of the first Test starting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26.
The remaining Tests will be played in Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.
This will be followed by two Twenty20 internationals, before Sri Lanka join in for a one-day tri-series from February 5.

Australia rebulding may takes years

New Australian coach Mickey Arthur warned on Tuesday that fans needed to be patient as the national side undergoes a rebuilding process that could take years to come to fruition.
The South African's recent appointment as Australia's first foreign coach completed a major overhaul sparked by the Ashes debacle against England earlier this year.

But Arthur said it could take until his contract expires at the end of the 2015 World Cup for Australia to get a true indication of their world standing.
Arthur takes charge of Australia for the first time in Thursday's first of two Tests against New Zealand at Brisbane's Gabba ground.
"We have to be realistic," Arthur told reporters. "But if we keep chipping away, in a year or two we could be top of the tree again."
"I guess it (deadline) is the length of my contract, which is until the end of the World Cup."
"That will be after back-to-back Ashes series, a Twenty20 World Cup and a 50-over World Cup."
"Then you will know exactly where we are at."
"Have some patience with the team but also embrace the excitement of the young talent."
At least three players will make their Test debuts against the Black Caps this week.
Young quicks Mitchell Starc, Ben Cutting and James Pattinson are in line for a start while opening batsman David Warner is expected to debut.
Arthur hoped the team's new rotation policy could groom up to 25 players capable of playing international cricket by the end of the southern summer.
"We want to build a sustainable squad. With the amount of cricket we play, it is impossible to have 15 players," he said.
"If by the end of the summer we can bolster our squad from 15 guys capable of playing international cricket at any given time to a squad of 20 to 25, then Australian cricket is going to be in a really healthy state."
"It's by default that this opportunity has arisen (due to injuries) but the benefit is that we are going to have three more guys knowing the intensity required to be in Test match cricket."
Captain Michael Clarke, who along with Arthur has been included on the revamped selection panel, faced all three fast bowlers in the nets on Tuesday.
Cutting, 24, and 21-year-olds Pattinson and Starc did not hold back in front of new selectors John Inverarity, Rod Marsh and Andy Bichel.
"It felt very fast," veteran batsman Mike Hussey said.
"But they were all probably 140kph (90 mph) and there is a bit of movement on those tracks - it was a proper workout. It certainly got the adrenalin rushing."

David Warner can end the career of Ricky Ponting

New South Wales batting tyro David Warner could end former captain Ricky Ponting's Test career.
Warner, the haymaker who considered leaving NSW last year because he could not get a four-day game for the Blues, is putting indirect but firm pressure on Australia's best batsman since Bradman, the Herald Sun reports.
Warner is in the Test team to play New Zealand and if he fires as an opener then Australia is likely to reshape the top order around him.

That is likely to put the squeeze on Ponting when injured Shane Watson returns, probably for the first Test against India in Melbourne from Boxing Day.
Chairman of selectors John Inverarity confirmed on Saturday night that if Warner shone as an opener, the panel would debate whether the time had come to move Watson down the order, which seems inevitable and common sense. But who goes?
Usman Khawaja looks like a player just about ready to spread his wings at Test level.
He should be inked in at least for the opening Tests against India, no matter what he does against New Zealand.
Mike Hussey failed against South Africa but was brilliant against Sri Lanka. He hasn't got a bottomless pit of credits, but he has some.
So Ponting, after a rugged year and with his 37th birthday close, is fighting for his career against New Zealand, no matter how he performs.
It took Cricket Australia just five minutes last week to snuff out a rumour that Ponting planned to pull up stumps after the second Test in Hobart. Like so many rumours, it was total fiction.
The only other thing to say about it was it was the most sensible suggestion you have ever heard.
There is a general uneasiness in cricket circles about Ponting's future. Yet the portents are there for a form revival at the Gabba this week. The Brisbane Test has always been Ponting's favourite of the summer. He always looks fresh and vibrant in Brisbane and generally plays that way.
He averages 66 an innings in Brisbane and 57 an innings against New Zealand. The numbers are encouraging, but it still won't make the talent squeeze any easier to handle for the Indian series, particularly if Shaun Marsh is also available