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.