Ashwin gets defensive
The off-spinner’s tactic of bowling around the wicket to right-handers was surprising as he failed to take advantage of the foot marks created by the pace bowlers. In the first session, Ashwin also opted to bowl in and around the off stump instead of getting batsmen to play outside the off
Scare for Ponting
Ashwin couldn’t hold on to a tough catch off his own bowling to give Clarke a reprieve when he was on 30. But, it was Ponting at the non-striker’s end, who was in the firing line of the shot, and managed to get out of the way just in the nick of time.

Dharmasena’s blunders
Umpire Kumar Dharmasena made two contentious decisions in the first session that led to the dismissals of Australia skipper Michael Clarke and Michael ‘Mr Cricket’ Hussey.

Clarke was aggressive in his approach at the start of the day hitting some well-timed boundaries and showing positive intent to declare at the earliest. But, Clarke’s knock was cut short when Dharmasena gave him out caught behind off the bowling of Umesh Yadav, even though the wicket-keeper and bowler only made a half-hearted appeal. Clarke was beaten for pace but wasn’t happy with the decision, and he could have reason to feel aggrieved as HotSpot showed nothing on the bat; even the Snicko didn’t register anything when the ball passed the bat.
Dharmasena made another questionable decision just before lunch when he upheld Ishant Sharma’s appeal for LBW against Hussey, who was hit near the knee roll in front of the off stump. Though replays indicated the ball would have just clipped the top of the off stump, it was a tough decision against Hussey. Ishant has been ruing his misfortune in the series as an excuse for not getting among the wickets, but he had luck going his way this time. And, Ishant hasn’t taken as many wickets as he would have liked to in Australia because he has not been consistent enough with his line and length, though he has had some catches dropped off his bowling.

Strange decision
R Ashwin not only dismissed Australia’s opening batsmen just before stumps on the third day, but also shared the new ball with Zaheer Khan in the hosts’ second innings. And, it was expected that Ashwin and Zaheer would start proceedings on the fourth day as well, but instead India’s stand-in captain Virender Sehwag opted for the pace pair of the left-arm fast bowler and Ishant Sharma. Ashwin was brought into bowl only in the eighth over of the day – certainly, a strange decision that by Sehwag.

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JOHANNESBURG: Sachithra Senanayake struck a six off the penultimate ball to give Sri Lanka a two-wicket triumph over South Africa Sunday in the final match of a five one-day international series won 3-2 by the hosts.

Captain AB de Villiers and predecessor Graeme Smith (125 each) struck tons as South Africa made 312-4, but a century from Kumar Sangakkara (102) led the tourists to 314-8 at the Wanderers and a second win within three days.

Sri Lanka appeared to be cruising until Sangakkara became the fourth wicket to fall with 275 runs on the board and a late South Africa rally saw them grab two wickets within three balls during the final over.
It left the tourists needing five runs from two balls to succeed and Senanayake hit Robin Peterson for a six to snatch victory in a thrilling climax to the two-month tour.

De Villiers’ ploy to bowl a spinner in the final over was a courageous one. Peterson showed great character by flighting his first ball and bowling Nuwan Kulasekara first ball.

This was followed by a single and then Lahiru Thirimanne was caught at short thirdman going for another big stroke.

Senanayake, batting for Sri Lanka for the first time, blocked his first ball before slogging his second over midwicket for six to finish the game.

“We came back strongly at the end of our tour and needed to prove a point after being bowled out for 43 in the first ODI,” said Sri Lanka skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan.

“Chasing 313 runs for victory meant it was always going to be tight and I am so proud of my team. We had a fantastic time in South Africa and it was just a pity that we lost the Test and one-day series narrowly.”

Man-of-the-series De Villiers said: “We have a lot to work on before touring New Zealand next month, but I am very happy with the way the team fought to the end.”

Sangakkara struck 10 fours in a maiden ODI ton against South Africa and there were also valuable contributions from Thirimanne (69), Upul Tharanga (46) and skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan (41).

De Villiers and Smith excelled as South Africa recovered from a sluggish early run rate having being sent in to bat by Dilshan in a match delayed for one hour by rain early in the Sri Lankan innings.

De Villiers finished unbeaten after facing 98 deliveries while Smith received a standing ovation from the sell-out 30,000 crowd after being caught by Dinesh Chandimal at mid-wicket off the bowling of Lasith Malinga.

While the Proteas skipper confirmed his position as one of the best stroke players in the world today with 10 fours and four sixes, Smith could not contain his joy as he walked off after a timely first ODI ton in three years.

There was a media and public outcry against him just a week ago after innings of six, 28 and two in the first three matches of the series before he stopped the rot with a brisk 68 in Kimberley two days ago.

Smith embroidered his innings with nine fours and four sixes off 143 balls during a 203-minute stand and the sun-drenched crowd revelled in his change of fortune.

South Africa lost opener Alviro Petersen (6) with only 10 runs on the board and were 70-2 when Faf du Plessis (24) departed before De Villiers and Smith took charge.

The Proteas stood at 133-2 after 30 overs and a run rate of 4.43 needed improvement on a good batting track, which the captains past and present duly did with 44 runs coming during a power play soon after.

Paceman Umar Gul took 4-63 to help Pakistan beat the world’s best Test team, England, by 10 wickets in the first Test inside three days here on Thursday, gaining a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The 27-year-old fast bowler dismissed Andrew Strauss (six) before lunch and then accounted for Alastair Cook (five) and Kevin Pietersen (nought) in his hostile nine-over first spell on a spin-friendly Dubai Stadium pitch.Spinners Abdul Rehman (3-37) and Saeed Ajmal (3-42) — his second 10-wicket haul in Tests — supplemented Gul to help Pakistan bundle out England for 160.

Pakistan notched the required 15 runs in 3.4 overs to hand England their first defeat in 10 Tests, since losing to Australia at Perth in the 2010 Ashes.

England’s batsmen, wrecked by Ajmal’s career-best 7-55 in their first innings of 192, were again clueless against the spin and played some rash shots as they sought to score runs on the pace of Gul.

Jonathan Trott top-scored with 49, but fell to an irresponsible shot, trying to force a short delivery from Gul and being caught by wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal, who finished the match with seven catches.

Trott, who passed the boundary of 2,000 runs when he reached 18 in his 24th Test, hit six boundaries during his 111-ball knock but became Gul’s 150th wicket in his 41st Test.

Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul Haq admitted he had not expected to win so comfortably.

“We didn’t expect that it would come so easily,” he said.

“Ajmal put us in a strong position with his seven wickets in the first innings and we batted well to take a good lead.”

Strauss expressed frustration over his side’s abject surrender.

“Obviously it’s disappointing to lose in this manner,” he said.

“We lost five early wickets and it’s disappointing to bat like this but we are not going to press the panic button and will show resilience in the second match.”

England had another disastrous start as Strauss was adjudged caught behind, pushing Gul to the leg side and seeing the ensuing edge well taken by the wicket-keeper.

Strauss instantly challenged the verdict but was left to trudge off the field after television umpire Steve Davis of Australia upheld the original decision.

Soon after the lunch break, Gul produced a sharp rising delivery that caught Cook in two minds as the left-hander gloved it to Adnan, who had no trouble in gathering it.

Kevin Pietersen, who has yet to score big on tour, made it 25-3 when he hooked a Gul bouncer straight into the hands of deep square-leg fielder Abdul Rehman, leaving England in more trouble at 25-3.

Ajmal then got in on the act when he trapped Ian Bell plumb in front of the wicket for four.

Bell wasted England’s second referral as television replays showed he was hit on the back leg, in line with the stumps.

Rehman ended a fifth-wicket partnership of 39 by dismissing Eoin Morgan (14) caught behind, while Ajmal trapped Matt Prior to leave England at 87-7.

Stuart Broad (17) and Graeme Swann (39) delayed the inevitable by putting on 48 for the eighth wicket before Rehman dismissed Broad and Chris Tremlett off successive deliveries.

Ajmal took the last wicket by getting Swann caught, much to the delight of his team-mates and the few hundred people in the stands.

In the morning, Adnan had boosted Pakistan’s lead with a gutsy second Test half-century. Adnan scored a career-best 61, adding another 50 runs after Pakistan resumed at 288-7.

Adnan, who hit eight boundaries during his 129-ball knock, put on a 30-run stand for the ninth wicket with Ajmal, who made 12. His previous best of 53 came against Bangladesh in Dhaka last month.

Swann had Adnan stumped to finish with figures of 4-107.

The second Test starts in Abu Dhabi from January 25, while the third will again be played here from February 3-7..

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