Pak bowlers dominate first day as Aussies make 229-9
LONDON: Mohammad Asif took three wickets in a dramatic burst either side of tea as Australia finished on 229 for nine when bad light forced an early close on the first day of the first Test against Pakistan at Lord”s here on Tuesday.
Asif took three wickets for no runs in seven balls on his way to a return of three for 53 in 17 overs.
Meanwhile teenage left-arm quick Mohammad Aamer, his new ball-partner, made the early inroads on his way to a haul of three for 66 in 18 overs.
Australia”s batsmen all struggled after Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi won the toss and elected to field in overcast, seam-bowler friendly, conditions.
Only left-handed opener Simon Katich, who made 80 but might have been lbw for two, had so far got past fifty although Michael Hussey was 39 not out, with Doug Bollinger unbeaten on nought, at stumps.
Asif struck with the last ball before tea when he had Clarke lbw for 47 to end a third-wicket stand worth 120 with Katich.
And nine balls after the break, Katich pushed uncertainly outside off-stump against Asif and was caught behind by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal for 80.
Katich, who has scored fifty in each of his last nine Tests, faced 138 balls with nine fours in more than three hours at the crease.
By contrast, three balls later, Marcus North, also a left-hander, was clean bowled between bat and pad by an Asif inswinger for nought.
Hussey pulled Kaneria for six to bring up the 200.
But Australia were 208 for seven after Test debutants Tim Paine (seven) and Steven Smith (one) fell cheaply to Umar Gul and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria respectively.
Pakistan, bidding for their first Test win over Australia in 15 years, saw Aamer, who starred in last week”s back-to-back wins over the Aussies at Edgbaston, strike first when he dismissed opener Shane Watson for four to leave Australia eight for one.
The 18-year-old had already had one close lbw decision against Katich, then on two, rejected when he rapped Watson, playing no stroke, on the pad.
English umpire Ian Gould turned down that appeal but next ball Watson again, curiously, padded up.
Gould was in the process of giving him out lbw when the ball trickled onto the stumps and dislodged a bail, meaning Watson was out bowled.
Watson”s exit brought Australia captain and star batsman Ricky Ponting to the crease in what could be the 35-year-old”s last Test at Lord”s.
Ponting, along with India”s Sachin Tendulkar and the West Indies” now retired Brian Lara, the other two outstanding batsmen of the last decade, had yet to make a Test century at the ”home of cricket”.
He had made 26 when he clipped Aamer firmly off his pads only for debutant Umar Amin to take an excellent catch at short-leg.
Aussies bowl Windies out for105
GROS ISLET, Saint Lucia: West Indies were on the verge of being eliminated from the World Twenty20 after they were bowled out for just 105 by Australia in their final Super Eights match here on Tuesday.
In a match they had to win by 24 runs to deny Sri Lanka a place in the semi-finals and so join Group F leaders Australia in the last four, the hosts suffered a dramatic collapse as they failed to bat out their 20 overs
From the relative safety of 52 for two, the West Indies lost their next five wickets for 25 runs as they slumped to 77 for five.
Only Ramnaresh Sarwan (26) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (24) made it past 20.
Australia leg-spinner Steven Smith took two wickets in two balls on his way to figures of three wickets for 20 runs as West Indies failed to sparkle under the Beausejour floodlights.
But having been 85 for nine, the West Indies did at least avoid the embarrassment of being bowled out for under a hundred thanks to a six from Sulieman Benn off Shane Watson.
But Watson bowled Benn (10) to end a last-wicket stand of 20 as the innings finished with an over to spare. Nikita Miller was 10 not out.
West Indies saw captain Chris Gayle out second ball after he”d won the toss.
Having struck the first legal ball of the innings from Dirk Nannes, the tournament”s leading wicket-taker, for a four straight past the bowler, Gayle was bowled second ball by a delivery that jagged back off the seam.
Then Chanderpaul, having flicked Mitchell Johnson”s second and fifth balls for four was out to the left-arm quick”s sixth.
The left-handed batsman launched Johnson high over the bowler”s head but didn”t quite time his shot and David Hussey, running back from mid-on, took a superbly judged catch.
The slump really took hold started in unlucky fashion when all-rounder Dwayne Bravo (six) was run out, backing up, after Johnson touched a Sarwan drive onto the stumps at the bowler”s end.
Smith then got in on the act as recalled batsman Narsingh Deonarine holed out for a duck, caught by Michael Hussey at deep midwicket.
Denesh Ramdin (one) then edged Johnson through to opposing wicketkeeper Brad Haddin before Smith struck twice in two balls in the 13th over.
Kieron Pollard (13) tried to work the ball legside but was beaten by the turn and Haddin completed a neat stumping.
Next ball Darren Sammy, in front of his St Lucia home crowd, chipped a simple return catch back to Smith.
Jerome Taylor survived the hat-trick but, at 77 for seven, the West Indies”s semi-final hopes had all but disappeared.
Sarwan, the last of the specialist batsmen, tried to clear long-off but simply holed out off part-time spinner David Hussey to David Warner.
Sreesanth puts India on the brink of an innings win
Sreesanth captured six out of the 13 Sri Lankan wickets that fell on the third day’s play at Kanpur to put India on the brink of a big innings victory. Sri Lanka in reply to India’s 642 crashed to 229 all out in their first innings and have already lost four wickets after following on!
The Lankans had a bad first session with Sreesanth picking up three wickets – opener Paranavitana (chasing a wide away going delivery to get caught for 38), Sangakkara (dragging a big cover drive onto the stumps to get bowled for 44) and Samaraweera (dragging his cut onto the stumps). Sri Lanka lost one more wicket in Angelo Mathews before lunch to get reduced to 138 for 5.
In the afternoon session, India had to wait for a long time before getting their next scalp as Mahela Jayawardene and Prasanna Jayawardene got a partnership going. It was again Sreesanth who provided the breakthrough by having Prasanna (39) caught behind playing a loose cut shot. Mahela Jayawardene (47) followed him back to the pavilion after a big shot off debutant spinner Pragyan Ojha failed to clear mid on. Sreesanth soon picked up his fifth wicket when he bowled left handed Rangana Herath with one that swung away from middle to hit the off stump. Sri Lanka went to Tea at 219 for 8.
The visitors got bowled out within no time after Tea and the follow on was enforced by Dhoni. Once again Sreesanth came good for India as he forced Dilshan to nick him behind. In a surprise move, Dhoni brought on Virender Sehwag in the 11th over and the part timer got rid of Paranavitana with an arm ball that had him lbw.
Sri Lanka got into horrible trouble moments later with Mahela Jayawardene getting run out due to a misjudgement of a single by Sangakkara. The Lankan Captain himself exited from the middle after dragging on a cut shot off Harbhajan onto the stumps. Sri Lanka finished the day’s play ar 57 for 4 in their second innings and know very well that nothing can save them from a big defeat tomorrow
.
? 2009, CricketMove.Com. All rights reserved. Partner with APakistanNews.com
Sreesanth puts India on the brink of an innings win was first posted on November 26, 2009 at 8:16 pm.
