Australia lifted CB Series in low-scoring grand final

In a Thrilling Final match Australia beat Sri Lanka by 16 runs to win the best-of-three match one-day international tri series at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.

Australia scored 231 off 49.3 overs and held off a determined fightback to dismiss the World Cup finalists for 215 with seven balls to spare in the third ODI final.

Paceman Clint McKay proved Australia's match-winner taking five for 28 off 9.5 overs, including the big wickets of captain Mahela Jayawardene for 15 and Dinesh Chandimal for just five.

Veteran Brett Lee chipped in with three wickets for a more expensive 59 runs.

Upul Tharanga topscored for Sri Lanka with 71 off 122 balls, but once he was caught behind off Shane Watson, Sri Lanka dropped behind the required run-rate and needed 22 for victory off the last two overs.

Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade topscored with 49 off 74 balls in Australia's innings, with fellow opening batsman David Warner hitting 48 off 45

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4:45 AM

India beat Australia in 4th ODI at Oval

India weren’t perfect today. But they beat Australia the hard way. And nothing satisfies a team more than a hard-fought win when it is going through a rut.

A pale-looking MS Dhoni got off to an agonisingly slow start of three runs in 17 balls. But he caught up with the pace at the end, capping off a tight chase for 270 by getting India the 13 needed in the final over from Clint McKay.

It helped India burst past some glass ceilings – they had never beaten Australia in an ODI in Adelaide, and had never chased more than 242 against the hosts in their country. More importantly, the win would take the attention away from the howls of protest after Sachin Tendulkar was rested today.

Gambhir Shines

The chase was set up by Gautam Gambhir’s 92 and a couple of thirties from Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. But each time they seemed at ease, Indian batsmen got out to rash shots to complicate matters.

Virender Sehwag (after adding 52 with Gambhir) got out to McKay trying to flick a loose ball on the leg. Virat Kohli was caught at the cover boundary trying to hit a six. And Rohit, having looked in total ease, played a ridiculous chip shot to be caught at long-off.

The win was in sight before India nearly botched it the chase by playing out two quiet overs from left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty in which Raina yorked himself, and Ravindra Jadeja holed out to midwicket, leaving the game precariously balanced.

Monster Six

Dhoni biffed McKay’s second ball into the banks behind long-on, one of the biggest boundaries in international cricket. The hit may have easily been about 120 metres long. Dhoni swung the next ball, a waist-high full-toss to midwicket, where it was caught by David Warner. The no-ball was called, leaving India three runs to get from three balls.

He swung it to midwicket again, taking three runs, coolly collecting a souvenir stump and walking off the park. At the award ceremony, Dhoni said he had hit a longer six in his pre-India days. It put in the shade a pull shot by Rohit for six – probably the most authoritative shot an Indian batsman had done on this tour of Australia.

India Raise Fielding Standards

India did two things well today. They fielded well, and bowled tightly in the last 10 overs (conceding 57-4), displaying a real urgency to keep Australia’s score down. India scored four run-outs in the second T20 in Melbourne. Today they had three, plus a sharp catch by Virender Sehwag to dismiss Hussey.

Sehwag’s catch was crucial. Australia looked set for a score close to 300. Sehwag’s tumbling effort at square leg cut short Hussey’s stay at 72. But the run-outs of David Warner and Daniel Christian were also crucial in keeping Australia under check.

Forrest Shines On Debut

The merits of the rotation system is another topic. The fact is that Australia have come out of their worst slump in years on the basis on really good selections. Today, the right-handed Peter Forrest came in for Mike Hussey, who has been given a week’s rest.

Forrest in only 26 and has played just 37 First Class games. This is in sharp contrast with Hussey, who was 30 and nearly 15,000 First Class runs down before he wore the Baggy Green. But like Hussey when he appeared on the scene, Forrest looked ready for the big league.

On his international debut, Forrest looked at ease – off the front-foot, off the back-foot, against pace or spin. You’d expect an Australian batsman coming out of Brisbane to be really good against pace bowling. But Forrest impressed with his footwork against Indian spinners too.

Twice he walked down to Jadeja and Rohit – that walk is rarely seen in the stand-and-deliver era – and lofted them over the straight field for six. If you could find one blemish in the innings, it was that Dhoni didn’t consider exposing Forrest to Zaheer Khan, and gave a long run to his spinners, none of whom were particularly impressive today.

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4:03 AM

Give Sachin Tendulkar a break in Sydney test

Predictably, the lead up to the Sydney Test centered around Sachin's much awaited hundredth international century (babies have arrived sooner). This time even the Aussie media went berserk, eulogising on how wonderful it would be for Tendulkar to reach the landmark in Sydney Cricket Ground's 100th Test.

What was most disappointing was to see former cricketers and experts give so much importance to the landmark. An otherwise level-headed Mark Nicholas, went to the extent of quizzing Dhoni at the toss, not on who made India's XI or their strategy for the game, but on how he would like it if Sachin scored his ton of tons in Sydney.

When Sachin walked in to the middle with India already reeling on 30 for 2, Ravi Shastri (not one to be outdone) spoke of how the master blaster would be nervous. Not because of the precarious position his side were in or due to the menacing bowling he was about to encounter, but because as Shastri claimed "he is approaching such a big milestone." Facepalm moment anyone?

With India's first innings wrapping for 191, India most definitely have more important things that merit their attention.

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1:07 AM

Brilliant Australia blow India away in Melbourne

The most gripping day of the Melbourne Test ended in an anti-climax with Australia crushing India by 122 runs.

Australia had their backs to the wall at the start of Day 4, but their positive intent and perfect execution of bowling plans laid low their opponents. India were bizarrely defensive with the ball and showed no stomach for a fight with the bat chasing a stiff 292.

One of Australia’s finds of the season, James Pattinson, and Peter Siddle made the most of India’s trigger-happiness with the bat. They bowled in the right areas — Pattinson’s high pace in particular troubled every batsman — and India obliged them with outside edges.

This was the sort of wicket were the home team also made the same mistakes with the bat. But the key to winning this game was building partnerships. Australia had several; India, none.

India let momentum slip

In the morning session, Mike Hussey, Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus thrived with MS Dhoni’s conservative field settings that allowed them to pick easy singles and score the occasional boundary.

India, 230 runs behind at the start of the day, let the momentum drift. No team has chased more than 250 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since 1961.

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir fell cheaply. The contest practically ended when Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli fell within a few overs of each other in the noon session. What came to hurt India bad was their conservative tactics against the Australia lower order.

Their last four wickets added 119 runs in the first innings and 92 in the second. In a low-scoring game such as this, 211 runs were a lot to give away to the tail-end. To Australia’s credit, they fought tooth and nail and the 60 runs they added this morning caused a seismic momentum shift.

Pattinson took seven wickets in the game, and batting at No. 10, was unbeaten in both innings in making 18 and 37. But this wouldn’t have been possible had Dhoni applied greater pressure on him his partners.

Former Australia captain and commentator Ian Chappell in particular was critical of Dhoni’s methods. Today, he described them as “... ridiculous... an absolute blue print on how to lose a Test match.” India proved him right.

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1:59 AM

Zaheer khan back for Australian batsmen

With a gruelling four-Test series against Australia ahead, India pace spearhead Zaheer Khan on Thursday said he is prepared for the challenge and determined to get in the "best state of mind". "I am all prepared for it. I am feeling confident, I have done every bit possible to get my fitness up and just looking forward to playing some matches now," said Zaheer. The left-arm pacer reiterated that he wanted to focus on his strengths rather than pondering over the conditions and the quality of batsman in the opposite camp. "Just want to focus on my strengths rather than worrying who am I going to bowl, what is going to happen, what kind of wickets I am going to bowl on. It's all about me thinking about my bowling and fitness and get in the best state of mind to perform well for team India," Zaheer said. "I have played few first class games back home which went well, I have enough bowling under my belt so just want to focus on my cricket now," he added. Zaheer stressed on the importance of hitting the right areas to keep the batsmen under check and said the practice games ahead of the all-important series will help the bowlers to explore the right length. "As a bowler its all about getting in the right areas, if you are hitting the right length, if you are able to get the ball moving, then you are going to trouble any batsman in the world," he said. "It is about increasing the percentage of getting the ball in the right areas which is going to cause trouble to the batsman. For bowlers it is important to try and work out which length to bowl on this track," Zaheer stressed. Zaheer also said it will be important for the batsman to get accustomed to the conditions. "For batters also it is important to get used to the conditions. I am sure from batting point of view also it is going to be an important match," he said. The 32-year-old, who skipped India's two-day warm-up match against CA Chairman today, heaped praise on the young Umesh Yadav for his three-wicket haul at the Manuka Oval. "Its good to see him bowl 140 plus which is really important and I am sure that wickets here are definitely going to suit his style of bowling because wickets are going to produce that extra bit of bounce," Zaheer said. "Its still early days for him, the more he plays the more he will learn. So its all about exposure at this level. I am sure with time to come he will learn more things as well," he added.

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4:23 AM

The Best chance to beat Australia Down Under: Dhoni

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni reckons that the upcoming four-Test series is his team's "best chance" of upsetting Australia in their own backyard but will not take them lightly despite their recent slump. India and Australia will square off from December 26 in a highly-anticipated series in which the visitors seem to have a good chance given the struggle through transition that Michael Clarke's men are enduring. On a day the Indian players head Down Under, Australia were upstaged in a Test at home by New Zealand for the first time in 26 years. "Even last time we had a very good chance and we did perform well. It is not like that the opposition is not doing well (but) it will be the best chance for us," Dhoni told reporters in a pre-departure press conference here in Chennai. "We have to play to the kind of talent that we have got and not worry about such things. We need to work on our strengths and weaknesses. We are more concerned about where we need to work on and not worry about what kind of opposition we are playing," the skipper stated. India's two first-choice pacers, Praveen Kumar and Varun Aaron, were ousted due to injuries even before the tour started but Dhoni insisted that led by the experienced Zaheer Khan, bowling will click Down Under. "Our bowlers are talented. Of course, when you do not have your main bowlers you need a bit of time. Once the youngsters play more and more games, that is how they get experienced at the top level. I think talent wise we are there. We have a good exposure for the youngsters who are part of the side now touring Australia," he said. Dhoni took a break from cricket by opting out of the just-concluded ODI series against the West Indies at home and he said he is back a rejuvenated man. "I needed the break and I am happy that I got it. The team also did really well. I am looking forward to the Australian tour," he said. "We have enough time for some preparation also before the start of the first test match that we play. Looking good as of now. Hopefully we do not have too many injuries before the start of the Test series," he added. Asked which aspect of the game the Indian team needs to improve on, Dhoni said, "You want to improve in all three departments (bowling, batting and fielding) always. You have seen cricketers who have been part of international cricket for more than 10 years still believe in improving and they keep improving. It is a constant process and everyone is part of it." He stressed on how important the catches would be and hoped that Indian fielders, certainly not the best in circuit by his own admission, would latch on to catches that come their way in Australia. "We would like to improve in all the three departments. Catching will be very crucial. Last series that we played in India we did not have so many catching fielders. We need to have a bit more catching fielders. They say catches win matches, which is true. So that will be one of the areas where we have to work on. On big grounds, running between wickets and trying to keep the batsman on strike are also necessary. All these small things help you put pressure on the opposition," he explained. Despite the couple of injury setbacks before the tour, Dhoni hoped that players would remain fit through the gruelling tour, which also features a tri-nation ODI series in February-March. "If you see the injury list, it is quite blank as of now. More often than not, the 15 or 16 who are in the team will be ready for selection to play. That takes a bit of the pressure off and you need not worry about the playing eleven that much and most of players get their berths on merit. Apart from that, if you see, the batting lineup is quite the same. Bowling wise we have got Umesh Yadav who can bowl over 140 kmph. I think it looks like a good pack. We need to do well on the field rather than looking at it as to how we look on paper." he said. Tours to Australia almost always include a bit of controversy, the ugliest of which was perhaps the 2008 'monkeygate scandal'. The two protagonists of the drama, Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, are not part of the series this time and Dhoni hoped that there wouldn't be any face-offs of that kind. "We will try to keep the fireworks off. Someone like Virender Sehwag starts playing their game, then there will be fireworks on the field. Not on the verbal side but with the bat and if the bowlers are going the ball will do the talking. Hopefully, we will keep the controversy away," Dhoni said. Indian coach Duncan Fletcher, who was also present at the media interaction, said having around half a dozen players including Sachin Tendulkar early in Australia will work to India's advantage. "We have sent some of the players early to Australia. By putting up two warm-up games you hope that they adapt during that period of time. Probably it is not easy enough. Perhaps at the nets if they give us the same set of quality and from that they will be able to adapt enough. We will see when we go in to the first Test." he said. On Zaheer's fitness status, given his history of breaking down on long tours, Fletcher said, "From the reports that I get, Zaheer had come to Mumbai and bowled at the nets there and he looked impressive. I think it is very important that he looked to be in very good condition from what we saw in him even when he came to England. Secondly, he has got these two games. It will be preparation for him. We do not want to rush him too quickly. The one three day game there, will be important for him before the first Test." he added.

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1:45 AM

Australia double lead without ever looking convincing

What a pity that Australia have been allowed to run into a 2-0 lead in the seven-match series of One-day Internationals by England, who appear the more balanced as well as versatile side in comparison to their traditional rivals.

The present Australian outfit is a mere shadow of the great one-day sides they used to field until the recent past. There are more bits and pieces cricketers in their eleven now than the specialists.

England have themselves to blame for having squandered the opportunity in both the games. They had the Australians on the mat for quite sometime but their own batting fared pathetically and the advantage was surrendered.

In both the matches the Aussies barely managed par score, batting first. With the hosts having packed their side with one-day all-rounders, they were the ones who appeared the favourites to seal the fate of the match at the start of their chase on both the occasions. Surprisingly, however, they lost their way in both the games and even the depth in their batting could not cover for the follies of their top batters.

The Australians also had their share of problems in the batting department but they somehow made up by the late flourish in both the encounters. Callum Ferguson was chiefly responsible for keeping them afloat after the unconvincing performance of their established batsmen.


Australia faced the danger of being bowled out for a low total, even after Ferguson’s half-century in the second match at Lord’s. They had barely crossed 200 when their eighth wicket fell and England had all cards in their pocket with James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom bowling splendidly in the death overs.

It was Mitchell Johnson, of all people, who rescued Australia with a flurry of big hits that yielded runs at brisk pace and all of a sudden England had to chase down a target of 250 instead of 210 or 215.

Left-handed Johnson's late assault actually revived Australia. He swung his bat at everything to score an unbeaten 43 off 23 balls. He was helped by some ordinary fielding as well, adding 41 off the last four overs and a bit with Nathan Hauritz. England’s wicketkeeper Matt Prior was guilty of letting go two boundaries that should have been stopped.

England, however, regained control with a solid opening partnership between skipper Andrew Strauss and the enigmatic Ravi Bopara. The Australians, at that stage, were running out of options as a cakewalk victory for the hosts looked more likely than anything else.

But England collapsed in the unlikeliest of circumstances. They were on top of the game when the self-destruction began. Michael Clarke must have heaved a sigh of relief watching the England batsman commit the kind of mistakes that would have embarrassed even the schoolboys.

Paul Collingwood fought a lone battle in the end but he was let down by his partners at the other end. The asking rate was very much manageable and the powerplay overs were at their disposal. But England didn’t have wickets to cash in and they eventually lost the match by 39 runs.

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4:03 AM

Pakistan and Australia would clash each other in two Twenty20 internationals

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that Pakistan will host Australia for a Test and T20 series between July 5 to July 25 next year.

The itinerary released by the ECB has a packed summer session, with England beginning the season with a two match Test series against Bangladesh followed by a three match one-day international series.


The itinerary for 2010 international matches in England:

Pakistan and Australia would face each other in two Twenty20 internationals and two Test matches in England in 2010.

England v Bangladesh: May 27-June 17

England v Australia: five one-day internationals, June 22-July 3

Pakistan v Australia: two Twenty20 internationals, two Tests, July 5-25

England v Pakistan: four Tests, July 29-August 30, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals, September 5-21.

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4:11 AM

England clashes Australia in decider to regain Ashes in style

Andrew Strauss and his men proved me right by outclassing the once mighty Australia in the fifth and final Test at The Oval to reclaim the Ashes in style. With 197 runs separating the two sides in the all-important battle there could not be any argument who was better equipped to tackle the pressure.

The experts as well as the bookies firmly believed that the momentum was with Australia entering the fifth Test but I had concluded my write-up on August 11 having said: England, I feel, can still turn it around in the decider at The Oval because there’s not much to pick between the two sides.

I don’t think many people agreed with my observations as they were unwilling to England a chance after the debacle in the fourth Test at Headingley where Australia had registered a comprehensive innings victory.

The reason why I backed England even after their massive defeat in the previous game was my conviction of Strauss being an inspiring leader with the team right behind him. I had a feeling that the Australians would be found wanting if challenged by the scruff of their neck.

I expected England to post at a least 400 on the board when Strauss himself led the charge on the first morning. With just one wicket down and over a hundred runs in the bank in the first session the platform was set for the hosts to put together an imposing total.

It was a bit surprising to find Paul Collingwood take so many deliveries to get a feel of the pitch in at a stage when the Australian bowlers were looking ragged after being counter-attacked by Strauss and Ian Bell.

Australia pulled it back by dismissing Bell and Collingwood in quick succession. The run out of debutant Jonathan Trott didn’t help England cause either and they must have felt let down by the middle-order when bowled out for 332 early on second day.

Stuart Broad’s sensational spell later in the day destroyed Australia and the home side was in great position to seal the fate of the game. The ever-improving Broad swung the ball appreciably to bring about the collapse that literally ensured the return of the ‘urn’ to the Mother country.

It was the turn of debutant Trott to steal the limelight in England’s second innings. He scored a magnificent century to stretch the overall lead past the magical figure of 500. The youngster took the lead from his captain whose second half century of the game was equally crucial as the first one.

Australia had more than two days to get to the target and when they ended the third day at 80 without loss there were quite a few people who thought they could still rewrite history.

The records are meant to be broken and the history is ought to be rewritten. But with available resources it was next to impossible to anticipate one coming at The Oval on August 23.

Michael Hussey played his best knock of the series but never did he look in a position to change the course of the match. The run outs of Ponting and Michael Clarke were resulted by the alertness of the England fielders who sensed blood and meant business.

Steve Harmison operated at over 90 miles an hour to demolish the tail quickly to prevent the game entering the final day. Off-spinner Graeme Swann was rewarded for his good work and it was probably in the fitness of things that he took the final wicket.

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2:45 AM

Fourth Test: Ashes live score and latest summary - Headingley, Leeds

Australia's Michael Clarke (R) hits out watched by England's Paul Collingwood during the second day of the fourth Ashes cricket test match at Headingley Carnegie cricket ground in Leeds, England, August 8, 2009.

Live Scorecard
Australia win by an innings and 80 runs

England First Innings 102 all out
Australia First Innings 445 all out
England Second Innings 263 all out Batsman Runs Fours Sixes
Strauss lbw b Hilfenhaus 32 4 0
Cook c Haddin b M Johnson 30 4 0
Bopara lbw b Hilfenhaus 0 0 0
Bell c Ponting b M Johnson 3 0 0
Collingwood lbw b M Johnson 4 0 0
Anderson c Ponting b Hilfenhaus 4 1 0
Prior c Haddin b Hilfenhaus 22 3 0
Broad c Watson b Siddle 61 10 0
Swann c Haddin b Johnson 62 7 1
Harmison not out 19 4 0
Onions b Johnson 0 0 0

AUSTRALIA HAVE WON THE FOURTH TEST MATCH BY AN INNINGS AND 80 RUNS.

At the end of play day 2, England have almost all but lost the game. Australia were all out for 445 runs and England came to bat for their second innings with a massive first innings deficit of 343.

Strauss and Cook appeared to make a good start but both got out in their 30s and Bopara got out for a golden duck as expected. He is not a number 3 batsman and despite failing repeatedly to show the class and temperament required for a number 3 position the selectors continued to persevere with him. A solid number 3 position may have helped prevent an England collapse in both the innings.

Following the departure of Bopara, Bell and Collingwood followed suit getting out for 3 and 4 runs respectively.

England ended the day at 82/5 still 261runs behind. Australia will look to wrap up the match within couple of hours on Day 3.

Swann is the only English bowler to have an economy rate of less than 3 (2.63 to be accurate). Broad has 3.00, but partly due to bowling so wide to the off stump. England's main strike bowlers Anderson and Harmison have an economy rate in excess of 4 runs and Anderson has 4.94 runs per over. Not a pleasant reading if you are an English fan.

North creams two fours in an Onions over, both through the off side. One beyond square and another through the cover region.

Johnson gets a short delivery from Harmison and goes for the pull/hook shot but gets the edge and the ball goes high over the slips and the keeper for four runs.

Wicket with the new ball. England have struck with the second new ball of the innings. Harmison with a short delivery that was quick on Haddin who went for a pull but completely mistimed it and scoops it up and a nice and easy catch taken by Bell. Haddin goes for 14 runs

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10:56 AM

Michael Clarke moves up rankings after fourth Ashes test

CHENNAI (Reuters) - Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke moved up to second place in the International Cricket Council's test rankings for batsmen after hitting 93 in the fourth Ashes test at Headingley.

Clarke, Australia's highest run-getter in the series with 445, recorded his career-best ranking after the tourists beat England by an innings and 80 runs on Sunday to level the five-test series 1-1. The final test begins on Aug 20.

Clarke replaced India's Gautam Gambhir in second place behind Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara. South African fast bowler Dale Steyn retained the top spot among test bowlers.

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11:26 AM

Confident Ponting eyes Ashes urn in series decider

Melbourne, Aug 10 (ANI): A confident Ricky Ponting is ready to erase the biggest blot on his captaincy record in next week's Ashes decider at The Oval and sees everything going in Australia's favour for a match his team needs only to draw to retain the urn.

It is for the first time in 43 years that the scores have been tied heading into the final match of an Ashes series. But England is wracked by injury and form woes coming off their innings and 80 runs fourth Test defeat at Headingley.

"It will be difficult for them to bounce back now. It'll only be that because of what we've got out of this game and what we felt we got coming out of the Edgbaston Test," said Ponting.

"We've got some of our guys that have been struggling for a little bit of touch, some of them probably in the best form of their careers which is great. Everything is heading in the right direction for us at exactly the right time of the tour," FOX Sports quoted him, as saying.

With his side firing on all fronts, Ponting said the south London clash would be one of the biggest moments of his stellar career.

It is a chance for him to atone for the 2005 Ashes series defeat that is still considered as the lowest moment in his five years in charge.

"It's a chance I've been waiting for this whole tour and a chance the whole team has been waiting for," he said.

But England has a good record at The Oval, having been undefeated in their last seven Tests at the ground. England captain Andrew Strauss insisted his side's poor show at Headingley wouldn't mean a thing next week. (ANI)

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11:23 AM

Ashes - Day Five: As it happened

Relive all the action from the final day of the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston where Australia secured a draw against England.

The third Ashes Test at Edgbaston has ended in a draw, and England still lead the series 1-0 after their win at Lord's! Australia have batted superbly to see out the game on the final day, with Michael Clarke unbeaten on 103 and Marcus North having fallen on 96.

113 THE MATCH IS DRAWN, AND IT IS HAND SHAKES ALL-ROUND! Australia 375-5 (Bopara 0-4): CLARKE FINALLY BRINGS UP HIS 100! It has been a very fine innings from Clarke and, after dragging his innings out for as long as possible, gets the run which gives him his century, and Australia the draw.

112 Australia 371-5 (Collingwood 0-1-0-0-2-1): The crowd are beginning to drift away as Collingwood continues and Strauss, understandably at this point, does not want to expose any of his front-line bowlers to further toil. A neat clip through midwicket from Clarke takes him to 99 at the end of the over.

111 Australia 367-5 (Bopara 0-0-0-0-0-nb-0): BOPARA HAS CLARKE CAUGHT AT GULLY BUT IT IS A NO BALL! That really is schoolboy stuff from Bopara to no ball at his pace! It really is Clarke's lucky day, and he gets another reprieve on 96. Drinks come out on the field, and this is just a very unnecessary delay. The players are keen to wrap this up now.

110 Australia 366-5 (Collingwood 0-2-1-0-0-1): Collingwood has the dubious pleasure of bowling to Clarke with the Australia vice-captain on 95, and Swann comes in to field at gully with the slip removed. Flintoff is enjoying a fair bit of banter with Clarke as he trots through for a single off the final ball of the over.

109 Australia 362-5 (Bopara 0-1-1-0-1-1): Four singles come off Bopara's latest over, and the medium-pacer is simply being milked around a sparse outfield now as Australia's batsmen coast along merrily. Paul Collingwood finally enters the fray from the other end.

108 Australia 358-5 (Broad 4-0-0-0-0-0): Broad races through is over in a pretty haphazard fashion, and Clarke appears to have the entire match resting upon his 100, because there is very little else at stake apart from his personal milestone. Manou gets four with a lavish pull through midwicket.

107 Australia 354-5 (Bopara 0-1-0-nb-1-1-0): Bopara continues as Clarke moves to 93 with the third single of the over as Manou intelligently gives his partner the strike at every opportunity. England are pretty lifeless out there now, and you can hardly blame them given that this match is - sorry to say - dead.

106 Australia 350-5 (Broad wd-2-0-0-0-0-0): Clarke misses a ball from Broad which grazes the off stump but does not remove a bail - that was tantalisingly close. It is all light-hearted stuff out there now, with Brett Lee coming out with drinks and having a laugh with Flintoff. /// Barrie is questioning why Paul Collingwood has not been given a trundle, and many others have flagged that up too - it is strange to see Bopara bowl ahead of him, but they are similar bowlers.

105 Australia 347-5 (Bopara 0-0-0-0-0-0): How on earth is Ravi Bopara still bowling? What does a bowler have to do to get a rest these days - going for 17 runs off one over is not enough? Either way, the Essex batsman vindicates Strauss's patience with a solid maiden over which would be best described as tidy. England have mustered three wickets today - it has been hard graft for the bowlers.

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12:38 PM

Clarke hundred sees Australia to draw

BIRMINGHAM: Michael Clarke's unbeaten century guided Australia to a draw against England in the third Ashes

Test at Edgbaston on Monday.


Scorecard

The result kept Australia's defence of the Ashes alive, although it also meant England remained 1-0 up in the five-match series ahead of the fourth Test at Headingley, which starts on Friday.

The Australian vice-captain was 103 not out in a second innings total of 375 for five, a lead of 262, when a draw was agreed in the fifth day's final session without England needing to bat again in this rain-marred match.

Together with left-hander Marcus North (96) he shared a fifth-wicket stand of 185 that made the game safe.

The duo had come together with Australia just 48 runs in front at 161 for four and still in danger of defeat after Michael Hussey was caught behind for 64 off paceman Stuart Broad before lunch.

North was in sight of his second century of the series when he was brilliantly caught right-handed by a leaping James Anderson in the gully off Broad to end a 159-ball innings featuring 15 fours.

But Clarke, who made 136 in England's 115-run second Test win at Lord's, pressed on to a hundred in 192 balls in nearly five hours with the match ending when he pulled occasional medium-pacer Ravi Bopara for his 14th four to go to three figures.

Clarke did have two lucky breaks in the 90s.

On 92, a ball from Broad flicked the outside of his off-stump without disturbing the bails.

And Clarke was caught by Anderson at slip on 96 off a Bopara no-ball.

He'd previously been dropped on 38 off a difficult chance by England captain Andrew Strauss.

That England had a shot at winning was remarkable given that, in effect, two days' play had been lost to bad weather, including Saturday's wash-out.

But the swing that had been so potent for them earlier in the match proved elusive and, in good batting conditions, England's attack struggled.

Clarke, whose footwork was a feature of his innings, stiffened Australia's resistance with several driven boundaries off Graham Onions.

And with Australia 203 for four, 90 ahead, Strauss turned to inspirational all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who had already starred with the bat.

However, there was a worrying moment for England when Flintoff, who has been struggling with a right knee injury, saw his left foot give way underneath him as he fell in his delivery stride.

Fortunately for England, Flintoff - their bowling star at Lord's - continued his spell although in this match he did not take a single wicket.

Strauss brought on occasional medium-pacer Bopara and his second ball almost yielded a wicket when Clarke, on 38, pulled fiercely only for the captain to drop the tough chance at short mid-wicket with Australia 106 ahead.

And that was as close as England came to reigniting their victory bid with the new ball not providing any breakthroughs.

Left-hander Hussey (18 not out overnight) fell to Broad's 12th ball of the innings - and first from around the wicket - when he edged to wicket-keeper Matthew Prior after two-and-a-half hours at the crease.

Earlier, Anderson - with his sixth ball Monday - had Shane Watson caught behind for 53. It was the makeshift opener's second fifty of the match after he'd come in for dropped left-hander Phillip Hughes.

Australia resumed Monday on 88 for two, still 25 runs behind.

England had all but ended any Australian hopes of victory on Sunday with Onions dismissing Simon Katich and Graeme Swann's classic off-break bowling Australia captain and star batsman Ricky Ponting for five.

England had been struggling at 168 for five on Sunday in reply to another inadequate Australia first innings, this time of 263.

But Flintoff revived the hosts with 74 off just 79 balls in a total of 376 as England built a first innings lead of 113.

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12:31 PM

Aussies relishing Ashes adversity says Ponting

BIRMINGHAM, England — Australia captain Ricky Ponting saluted the resilience shown by batsmen Michael Clarke and Marcus North to guide his side to a draw here in the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston.

Vice-captain Clarke made 103 not out, his 12th century in 50 Tests and second in as many matches and shared a stand of 185 with North (96) to make the game safe.

The duo had come together with Ashes-holders Australia just 48 runs in front at 161 for four and still in danger of defeat after Michael Hussey was caught behind for 64 off paceman Stuart Broad before lunch.

But by the time a draw was agreed Australia had moved on to 375 for five in their second, a lead of 262, with no time left for England to bat again in a match where bad weather effectively took out two days' worth of play.

This result still left England 1-0 up in the five-match series with two to play ahead of the start of Friday's fourth Test at Headingley but Ponting said: "We knew what job we had in hand this afternoon, we knew it would be hard work but the North and Clark partnership was pretty special

"It was good to get through the game the way we did.

"After we lost all that time it was pretty evident there was only one team that could win but full credit to our bowlers, they stuck at it and stopped England getting too far ahead."

Ashes holders Australia are not used to being behind this far into a series against England but Ponting said: "All the guys in our dressing room don't mind this. I've always said about the Australia team that we play our best cricket in adversity."

England came into this match without star batsman Kevin Pietersen, out of the series with an Achilles problem and while key all-rounder Andrew Flintoff starred with the bat in their only innings at Edgbaston, the bowling hero of the 115-run second Test win at Lord's went wicketless in this match.

The injury-prone Flintoff, who has said this will be his last Test series, appeared to be struggling with a longstanding knee injury in the latter stages of this match.

Ponting said: "The injury was more visible over the past two days than at Lord's, I don't know what to make of it. He was their best bowler at Lord's, the wicket and conditions here didn't suit his style as much.

"Having Pietersen and Flintoff out of their side would leave two pretty big gaps on the side. He went downhill pretty quickly in the course of this game with his injury."

But England captain Andrew Strauss said: "There's obviously some soreness there but nothing deteoriated. He needs to rest-up well because back-to-back Tests are hard for any bowlers."

England are due to name their fourth Test squad on Tuesday and Strauss added: "If he's fit to play we want to play him, if not not.

"The Headingley Test is a massive Test. If we win there, we win the Ashes, the same goes for both these last two games."

Reflecting on the match at Edgbaston, Strauss said the lack of swing, which had helped England bowl Australia out for 293 in their first innings, on Monday had proved decisive.

"We came to the ground optimistic we might be able to force a result. But the conditions didn't help us. We thought it would swing more and, as we've seen all match, when the ball's not swinging it's hard to take wickets."

Clarke, who made a century in a losing cause at Lord's, was delighted his latest hundred had a more positive impact upon Australia's fortunes.

"It was disappointing when I got out at Lord's, it was good to be here at the end."

He did have a moment of good fortune on 92 when the ball brushed his stumps without disturbing the bails and Clarke said: "I have seen the ball hit the stumps and the bails not come off.

"When it's your day, it's your day I guess."

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12:28 PM

England trails Australia by 147 on second day of third Ashes cricket Test

BIRMINGHAM, England — England reached 116-2 when bad light ended play Friday on the second day of the third Test after its swing bowlers James Anderson and Graham Onions shared nine wickets to dismiss Australia for 263.

Andrew Strauss was 64 not out and Ian Bell unbeaten on 26 at Edgbaston, taking England within 147 runs of Australia's total after the loss of Alastair Cook for 0 and Ravi Bopara for 23.

Strauss, who made 161 in the second Test, neared his 19th Test hundred after hitting 10 boundaries in 111 balls.

Bell, recalled for the injured Kevin Pietersen, lofted spinner Nathan Hauritz for six over long-on but later survived an lbw appeal off an in-swinger by Mitchell Johnson that TV replays showed would have struck the centre of middle stump.

Cook was out in the second over, edging a wide ball from Peter Siddle to debutant wicketkeeper Graham Manou, while Bopara did not add to his tea-time score before playing on to Ben Hilfenhaus.

Australia resumed the day on 126-1 and slumped after losing two wickets with the first two balls of the morning, bowled by Onions. Onions finished with 4-58, while fellow swing exponent Anderson had 5-80, including a sequence of 5-13 in 38 balls.

Australia's last two wickets added 60 valuable runs, with final pair Hauritz (20 not out) and Hilfenhaus (20) putting on 34. Australia, 1-0 down in the series and seeking to retain the Ashes, lost nine wickets in the day for just 137 runs from 40.4 overs.

Anderson and Onions dramatically improved on their first day figures of 0-45 from 10 overs and 0-21 from three, respectively.

In between the wickets, Ricky Ponting became the highest-scoring Australian batsman in Test history, in his 124th Test, passing Allan Border's tally of 11,174 from 156 matches after flicking Andrew Flintoff to midwicket for three runs.

But any personal joy for Ponting would have been short-lived due to Australia's slump.

Onions trapped top-scorer Shane Watson lbw for 62 on the first ball of the day and then bowled Mike Hussey, who chose to leave a ball in line with his off stump. The score was then 126-3.

Ponting, booed to the crease Thursday, acknowledged the generous applause he received for his record from English spectators. He is now third in the all-time Test run-scoring list behind West Indies' Brian Lara (11,953) and India's Sachin Tendulkar (12,773).

It was an eventful period for Ponting. He survived a run-out chance when attempting a quick single on 37 after being out of his ground when Bell's throw from cover missed the stumps.

Ponting is renowned as the best player in the world when facing short deliveries, but his attempted hook at Onions resulted in a thin edge to wicketkeeper Matt Prior. The score was then 163-4.

While Onions started Australia's demise, Anderson finished it. He dismissed Michael Clarke lbw for 29, though the ball may have missed leg stump, had Marcus North brilliantly caught for 12 by Prior diving in front of first slip and then trapped Johnson lbw first ball when he did not play a stroke. The ball may have bounced over the stumps.

The rain-affected first day allowed just 30 overs.

Anderson bowled Manou with a perfectly shaped out-swinger with the last ball before lunch.

The first Test was drawn and England won the second match at Lord's by 115 runs.

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1:12 PM

Australia reaches 126-1 on first day of third Ashes cricket Test

BIRMINGHAM, England — Shane Watson helped Australia to 126-1 against England at the close of the first day of the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston on Thursday after he was recalled as a makeshift opener in place of Phillip Hughes.

Watson, recovered from a knee injury, was 62 not out at stumps with his captain Ricky Ponting on 17 following an erratic bowling display from England. Simon Katich was out for 46 from 48 balls in an opening stand of 85. There were 22 fours in the session.

The match started six hours late because of rain but ended at 7 p.m. local time with conditions still playable under blue skies. Only 30 of the scheduled 90 overs in the day were played.

James Anderson was unfortunate not to have Katich lbw when he was on five after the ball struck his pad on the line of off-stump. The left-hander and Watson went on to punish some wayward bowling.

Andrew Flintoff's fourth over and the eighth of the innings cost 10 runs as both openers each struck a boundary. It summed up Australia's dominance in the first hour when 11 fours were struck.

Watson registered the team's 50 with an elegant off-drive for four off Graham Onions' second ball of the match. In the same over, Watson survived a close lbw appeal before crashing a pull through midwicket for four.

First and second change bowlers Onions and Stuart Broad each allowed two boundaries from their first overs. The boundary count numbered 16 after 18 overs. Onions was taken out of the attack after letting three fours from his third over.

England's bowling lacked the accuracy and hostility that marked its 115-run win at Lord's in the second test, which put it 1-0 up in the five-match series.

The breakthrough came with a change of pace as off-spinner Graeme Swann trapped Katich lbw with his first ball to the left-hander. Katich tried to pull Swann through midwicket and failed to connect and was struck in line with the stumps.

Ponting's first four, a cover drive off Anderson, brought up 20,000 first-class career runs and the team's 100. The same over Watson reached his half-century courtesy of an Onions mis-field at mid-on. He had stroked eight fours in getting there.

Australia won the toss before Ponting announced one change in its lineup, prior to a late drama that led to a forced second alteration.

Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin sustained a suspected broken finger on his left hand in practice after the toss. Australia then received permission from the England team to replace Haddin with reserve keeper Graham Manou, who is making his Test debut.

Hughes, who had scores of 36, four and 17 in the series, announced his omission on Twitter.

England made one change with Ian Bell replacing Kevin Pietersen, who had surgery on his Achilles last Tuesday.

The first Test in Cardiff was drawn after England saved the match after a defeat had seemed likely.

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12:19 PM

England captain Andrew Strauss upholds the spirit of cricket

IN one noble gesture Andrew Strauss has wiped away the uncomfortable moments of the first two Tests.

By allowing Australia to replace its injured wicket-keeper Brad Haddin after the toss to finally begin the long-delayed third Test at Edgbaston, Strauss could not have done more to uphold the spirit of cricket.

The England captain gave Australia permission to select reserve wicket-keeper Graham Manou for an extra-ordinary last minute Test debut.

He came in moments before play started after Australia discovered the seriousness of a finger injury to Haddin suffered during warm-ups and sent him to hospital for x-rays.

England’s relatively new skipper was severely criticised for his ham-fisted delaying tactics in the first Test and disputed slips catch off Phil Hughes in the second.

But he would have been quite within his rights to say no to Australia’s wicket-keeping request.

Law 2 of cricket states: “Each captain shall nominate his players in writing to one of the umpires before the toss. No player may be changed after the nomination without the consent of the opposing captain.”

Australian team manager Steve Bernard spoke to match referee Jeff Crowe about the late change and was directed to meet with Strauss, who readily agreed.

The preamble to the Laws of Cricket says: “The captains are responsible at all times for ensuring that play is conducted within the spirit of the game as well as within the laws.”

In Cardiff England sent the team physio and acting 12th man onto the ground in the dying minutes of the match to waste time when last pair Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar were hanging on grimly for a draw.

It was amateur hour and did not please Australia captain Ricky Ponting.

Strauss later talked of confusion but the only confusion was who sent the support staff onto the ground at such a critical time.

If it was Strauss directly he should be ashamed of himself and if it was coach Andy Flower or other members of the support staff then it paints Strauss as a weak leader for allowing it to happen. And as captain, he takes the rap for it anyway.

At Lord’s Strauss claimed a catch at first slip which television replays suggested had hit the grass first.

Strauss insists that he caught it and had the bruised fingers to prove it.

But if umpires Rudi Koertzen and Billy Doctrove had referred the catch to the video umpire, as they had the previous day with a low dive Nathan Hauritz catch off Ravi Bopara, then Hughes would certainly have survived.

With his grace on the opening day there can be no doubt that Strauss is a gentleman of the game.

It allowed Manou a remarkable step up to the international arena.

So anonymous is the South Australian captain and gloveman that he was introduced as “Garry” by the ground announcer during Australia’s recent tour match at Northampton.

He lasted just one ball, out leg before wicket in the first innings, before scoring an increasingly polished half-century in the second.

No one could have predicted that Manou would become Australia’s first stand in wicket-keeper since Phil Emery 15 years ago, when he played one Test in Pakistan as a replacement for the injured Ian Healy.

Manou can thank Strauss for his brand new baggy green cap.

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12:18 PM

Top most embarrassing cricketers

Poor Mitchell Johnson. First the Aussie quick bowler bowls like a drain against every team in England - including the national side, who have so far this Ashes series smashed 331 runs off him - is pillared by press both back home and in Britain, and THEN his mother steps in to add her sixpence.

In the Australian media she has been blamed for distracting him after complaining of having him 'stolen' from her by his fiancée. She has now produced a gushing apology that concluded: "Never forget I love you, mate."

Sportsmen and their mothers do not always go hand in hand, and below are ten more examples when mums make their super-star kids cringe, just as they did at the school gates when they licked their hanky and wiped that grubby mark off their cheek. Cue wincing and blushing.

1. Angela Morrison

The mother of Republic of Ireland international striker Clinton Morrison, Angela, similarly felt the need to protect her little baby back in December 2002.

The then-23-year-old was turning out for Birmingham City and tangled with QPR defender Rufus Brevett at Loftus Road.

After the tempestuous game, which Brum won 1-0, Angela took exception to the treatment Brevett had given her boy and she confronted him in the players’ lounge.

Brevett said to Angela: "Your son's got a big mouth."

To which she began to swing her handbag and snarled: "I know. He gets it from me."

Stewards had to rush to the scene to stop trouble escalating.

2. Brigitte Warne

In February 2003 Australian leg-spinning great Shane Warne was suspended from cricket by the Australian Cricket Board after he was deemed to be using performance-enhancing drugs. In actual fact Warne had been taking advice from his mother on how to lose a stone or two, the vain peroxide tweaker.

Brigitte handed him a diuretic pill so he could shrink his 36” waste. Warney forgot to tell the team doctor, Trefor Jones, or the physio, Errol Alcott – perhaps because he was worried his team-mates would rib him for using drugs that are used by jockeys and excessive dieters. Or perhaps it was because diuretics are used to mask other performance-enhancing drugs …

Chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Dick Pound, was unimpressed with Warne's explanation that his mum had given him the banned tablet. "Poisoned by his mother?” Pound chuckled. “It is good, very good. It ranks up there with the one 'I got it from the toilet seat'.”

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11:34 AM

England 'preying on' Johnson - Pietersen

Mitchell Johnson, the Australian allrounder, came into the Ashes as his team's leading bowler but he has struggled for accuracy, and Kevin Pietersen said England were "preying on" the fast bowler's problems.

"We certainly know that he's struggling," Pietersen told Sky Sports News. "The good thing we're doing at the moment in this England team is that we're preying well on guys that aren't playing well. I think Mitchell Johnson is a guy that the guys are preying on. But he is a fantastic bowler and he might come back really strong at Edgbaston. It's going to be an important thing to get on top of him and get on top of this Australian side."

Johnson took eight wickets at 41 apiece in the first two Tests but was unable to bowl a consistent line and length and failed to build any pressure on the batsmen. Pietersen, however, will not be around to try and dominate Johnson at Edgbaston after undergoing surgery for an Achilles injury, but he was confident Ian Bell, his replacement, would come good.

"Belly [Bell] had a good time of it, then he had a bit of a bad time of it. He has obviously been left out, unfortunately for him, but I think he is a world class player and being left out for so long, that is hard on Belly," Pietersen said. "It will toughen Belly up and he will use this opportunity well. So I don't see Belly struggling at all in the next three Test matches. I hope he doesn't, I hope he comes in and does really, really well."

Bell's last Test for England was the calamitous innings defeat at Sabina Park in February, a result which lost England the series in the Caribbean. Though Bell averages 40 in Tests (3004 runs in 46 matches), his run in the top-order was unconvincing, and he has also struggled against the Australians, against whom he averages only 25 in ten Tests. Pietersen, though, was confident Bell would remedy those figures.

Though England lead 1-0 after two Tests, Australia were confident of winning, especially after the injury to Pietersen. "We still have three whole Tests to play. And that is plenty of time for us to turn this series on its head, especially as the loss of Kevin Pietersen is going to hurt England badly," Ricky Ponting wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. "We all know what an influence Kevin is around their team.

"I said at the start of the series that he would be their go-to man, and the guy who would relish playing against Australia the most. He brings the X-factor to their batting. And a middle order without him in it definitely will not be the same."

Pietersen, meanwhile, will be at Edgbaston for the third Test, which begins on Thursday, supporting his team-mates from the sidelines. "Yeah, I am finding it very difficult at the moment, having to know that I will be at Edgbaston on Thursday. I am going to go and watch the boys and support the boys because I think that is important.

"To know that I can't be playing will kill me inside but there is nothing I can do. When I know that I can't support the team and play the way I can play - I can't run - there is nothing I can do about it. I just have to bite the bullet."

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11:50 AM