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Thunder struck by dominant Sixers

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 08 Desember 2012 | 22.07

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Triumphant ... Steve Smith (L) and Moises Henriques celebrate their derby win. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

David Warner failed to deliver any fireworks, but it mattered little as his Sydney Sixers strolled to a seven-wicket win over the Thunder in Saturday night's KFC T20 Big Bash League Twenty20 derby at the SCG.

T20 - Sydney Cricket Ground

8 December 2012 - Day 1, Session 2

Sixers 1st Innings

S. Smith 41 32 5 0 128.13
M. Henriques 4 1 1 0 400
S. Abbott 3.4 0 40 1 10.91

Former Thunder captain Warner, who made a cross-city shift to the defending BBL champions during the off-season, was dismissed for a second-ball duck when he chased a wide delivery and was caught behind as the Sixers set their sights on a victory target of 144.

But Brad Haddin came to the crease and clubbed 59 from 48 balls before being bowled by Sean Abbott with the scores tied.

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But the wicketkeeper had put on 83 with Steve Smith, who remained 41 not out, to set up the emphatic victory with eight balls to spare.

Moises Henriques struck a boundary off his first delivery to bring up the winning runs - and the Sixers' 12th straight T20 win.

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The fixture was played in front of a crowd of just 15,279 - a far cry from the 25,000 that organisers had hoped for during the week.

Cricket Australia can only wonder what star attractions Michael Clarke, denied his one chance to play in the BBL due to a back issue, and Chris Gayle, who was wrapping up his West Indies commitments on their tour of Bangladesh, might have done to that figure.

The Thunder certainly dearly needed their captain and most fluent batsman on the park as they were reduced to 5-143 off their 20 overs.


Catch every match of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash League Live and Exclusive, and in High Definition, on Fox Sports. Get Foxtel.


The western Sydney franchise crashed only four sixes, struggled to rotate the strike regularly and failed to form a partnership of note until No.6 Ryan Carters (33no) and No.7 Sean Abbott (24no) put on an unbeaten 55-run stand off 28 balls.

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Paceman Luke Feldman was the best of the Sixers' bowlers with figures of 2-19, but Mitchell Starc (2-27) sent a timely reminder to Australia's national selectors.

Fresh from snaring eight wickets in the WACA Test, left-armer Starc swung the ball with venom to snare the scalps of Usman Khawaja (19) and Cameron Borgas (11).

The 22-year-old, who is set to battle it out with Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus for two positions in the Australian side for next week's first Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart, reduced the Thunder to 4-77 when he rattled the stumps of Borgas.

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Haddin paid tribute to Nic Maddinson (39) and Smith, whom he formed key partnerships with after Warner's exit.

''I get a bit of a licence when those guys do their thing at the top, so I'm a pretty lucky guy,'' said Haddin, who sent the Thunder in.

''You get nervous first day of the tournament because you want to start well.

''There's a few things to work on, but we've started with a win.''

Haddin said Warner's downfall was never going to leave any of his teammates flustered.

''That's the beauty of having someone like Dave in your team. If he gets a duck he gets it quick, and if he gets runs he gets them quick,'' Haddin said of Warner's one-off appearance for the Sixers.

''We've spoken a lot about not relying on one player.''


Check out our Big Bash match centre for state-of-the-art analysis of all the action and every delivery.


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Djulbic lost hope of Socceroos call

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Dino Djulbic ... the debutant thought a Socceroos chance had passed him by. Source: Brett Costello / News Limited

Making his Socceroos debut at the age of 29, Dino Djulbic thought he had missed his chance to break into the national fold.

The Bosnia-born player, who currently plies his trade in China, was named in coach Holger Osieck's 20-man squad for the East Asian Cup qualifiers in Hong Kong and earned his maiden cap in Australia's 9-0 thumping of hapless Guam on Friday night.

Standing at 194cm, the imposing defender had three impressive seasons at Perth Glory from 2007 before signing with German second-tier outfit Rot Weiss Ahlen.

He returned to the A-League in 2010 for a season with the now defunct Gold Coast club and hoped he had done enough by that time to warrant a Socceroos call-up.

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"Of course started to think it was never going to happen," Djulbic told AAP.

"I thought I did well in the A-League before I left and thought I may have had my chance then.

"But obviously the chance didn't come so I just had to continue to work hard and have eventually been rewarded at this old age."

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Djulbic helped Guizhou Renhe finish fourth in the Chinese Super League this season, earning a spot in the competition's All-Star team after defending against the likes of former Barclays Premier League stars Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.

Much has been made about the young guns in the current Australian squad but among the eight debutants is 30-year-old Brisbane Roar skipper Matthew Smith who has finally gotten the nod after continued excellence at club level.

His Roar teammate Ivan Franjic and Melbourne Heart's Michael Marrone, both 25 years old, have also earned their first international caps as Osieck looks to expose new talent.

"It definitely proves that it's never too late really," Djulbic said.

"You have to just keep in mind that the set-up in the national team is always changing and the coach is always looking at new options regardless of age.

"So if you're doing well for your club I guess you'll get rewarded eventually and that's what's happening to all us older boys at the moment."


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Quade eyes mate Beale's No.10 spot

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Rivalry ... Quade Cooper says the fire is back in his belly to play for the Wallabies again. Source:AAP

Quade Cooper has relished the success of Kurtley Beale as Wallaby fly half, yet he made it clear that his close mate now has a fight on his hands to keep the jersey.

It's not the peace that finally comes from a new two-year deal with the Australian Rugby Union that is the greatest win in the Cooper saga, but the fire that has been lit inside him while he's been away, injured or being fined.

The Wallabies won a series against Wales this season with Berrick Barnes at No.10 and Beale was always prominent in the four wins and a draw from the seven Tests he played there.

Seven Tests were won when Cooper was sidelined this year, so the notion that he is indispensible has been chewed up.

"I always wanted Kurtley to go well at No.10 and he went very well," Cooper said after re-signing for a revised deal which can earn him $800,000-plus next year if he plays all 14 Tests.

"When you watch anyone playing in your position, it does get the competitive juices flowing.

"Whether it's playing FIFA 2013 as a video game with KB or doing extras at training, we compete and push each other.

"No matter who it is, I want to be challenging for that spot."

Cooper has 15 matches for the Reds in Super Rugby to rebuild his case before the Test team is finalised for an epic three-Test series against the British and Irish Lions.

Cooper was tightlipped about what had changed in a week to turn an ARU contract offer "I won't accept" into one he did.

"Obviously, there's been a change, but I'm not going to discuss the finer details," said Cooper, who will likely have had the guaranteed component of his contract lifted.

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He knocked back a bigger contract bait to play with French club Montpellier and felt honour-bound to speak to the club personally when he did decide to decline.

"It was never a matter of playing people off against another or that French offer would have been public before now," Cooper said.

"I expressed my desire to play on for Queensland and Australia."

Now the dust has cleared, the facts paint Cooper as much less a mercenary than many would have you believe.

He is still a one-club man who will enter his seventh season with Queensland in 2013 and will workout at the same Ballymore he first trained on as a mullet-wearing schoolboy.

"The Reds have been a huge part of my life, which is why it makes me laugh sometimes when I read I'm a gun-for-hire," Cooper said.

"I've been training at Ballymore since I was 14.

Was he happy to playing for the Wallabies under Robbie Deans?

"Of course...he's the coach," Cooper said.


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

England close in on India win

In control ... England bowlers - including Steve Finn - dominate India in Kolkata. Source: Pal Pillai / AFP

England stand on the verge of taking a 2-1 lead in their Test series with India after dominating another day of action in the third Test in Kolkata.

3rd Test - Eden Gardens

5 December 2012 - Day 4, Session 3

India 2nd Innings

R. Ashwin 83 151 13 0 54.97
P. Ojha 3 21 0 0 14.29
J. Anderson 15 4 38 2 2.53

An early fightback from India lasted just one session as England's bowlers ripped through their batting line-up, leaving them in danger of losing the Test with a day to spare at one stage at 197-9 and still 10 runs away from making England bat again.

Ravi Ashwin's brilliant 83 not out forced the game into a final day though, with India closing on 239-9 but with their lead just 30 runs it will still be a final day victory for England unless a miracle happens.

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England's seamers did most of the damage with the recalled Steve Finn taking 3-37 and James Anderson 2-38 to leave Alasatair Cook's men on the brink of victory - with the only minor setback being their failure to kill off the game on the fourth day.

MS Dhoni's side has shown signs of life at the start of the day by finishing England's innings quickly and making a bright start to their response at 86-0, but by tea they had crumbled to 145-6 and still 62 runs behind.

Virender Sehwag was bowled by Graeme Swann with the very first ball of the session, and that began a hefty Indian collapse of six wickets lost for just 36 runs to land them in big trouble at Eden Gardens.

Cheteshwar Pujara was run out by an Ian Bell direct hit for eight, and Gautam Gambhir followed soon after for 40 as he was caught behind off Finn while Swann found Sachin Tendulkar's edge and Jonathan Trott held the catch after earlier spilling a chance from Sehwag.

Anderson came steaming in to clean bowl Yuvraj Singh for 11 before then removing captain Dhoni for a duck when he was caught by his opposite number Alastair Cook.

With the score now on 122-6 India still trailed England's first innings total by 85 runs and suddenly had to dig in just to make the tourists bat again.

Virat Kohli and Ashwin managed to stem the bleeding and make it to tea unscathed, but again the break did the trick for England as Kohli edged Finn to Prior in the second over after the restart to expose the tail.

Finn struck again in his next over as Zaheer Khan was trapped lbw for a duck and the game looked over with India at 159-8, but Ishant Sharma and Ashwin held up the victory parade with a stubborn ninth-wicket stand.Once that was ended by Monty Panesar the only matter left to decide was whether England would need to bat again - which they were as Ashwin made a deserved half-century and then survived the rest of the day to frustrate England's victory celebrations.

England's overnight pair Matt Prior and Graeme Swann could add only a single between them to their existing seventh-wicket stand of 56, as England lost their first two wickets of the day in the space of seven balls.

Prior had driven the first for a single, only for Swann to then immediately become Pragyan Ojha's fourth victim - edging another attempted drive to slip.

Then Prior himself went to cut Zaheer Khan at the other end, and edged behind.

Steven Finn and James Anderson managed a boundary each, but the introduction of Ashwin for Ojha (4-142) brought two wickets in two balls to conclude the innings.

Read more: http://www.skysports.com/cricket/match_report/0,,11066_13375_1,00.html


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Good at centre of FA Cup storm

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 07 Desember 2012 | 22.07

Curtis Good ... played in FA Cup clash when he wasn't eligible. Source: News Limited

Rising Aussie star Curtis Good is at the centre of an FA Cup controversy after Bradford City were expelled from the prestigious tournament.

The former Melbourne Heart defender, currently on loan with the League Two club from Barclays Premier League big guns Newcastle United, was deemed ineligible to play in the second round clash with Brentford.

The Bantams included Good without written permission, missing the deadline on the Friday before the match to get him registered.

Their removal from the competition is subject to appeal, but if this is unsuccessful Brentford will go forward to the third round and play either Bury or Southend United.

A statement on the club's website read: "Bradford City Football Club is very sorry to have to report such a matter and apologises to our fans. The error was of an administrative technical nature and not one to intentionally break competition rules.

"We presented a case of mitigation to the FA on Thursday, however the FA panel chose to enforce the full powers of its jurisdiction and have removed the club from the FA Cup competition.

"We are clearly disappointed by this decision and cannot comment further on this matter as the club is still actively conducting a full investigation. The club has until 5.00pm today (Friday) to lodge an appeal with the FA and we are currently reviewing our position in relation to this."


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dominant England in total control

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Alastair Cook ... missed out on a double century in bizarre circumstances. Source: PUNIT PARANJPE / AFP

England have moved into a strong position to open up a 2-1 series lead over India after dominating day three of the third Test in Kolkata.

Although Alastair Cook's dogged resistance was finally ended in bizarre circumstances - allowing India a foothold back into the match - England finished the day on 6-509.

3rd Test - Eden Gardens

5 December 2012 - Day 3, Session 3

England 1st Innings

M. Prior 40 46 6 1 86.96
G. Swann 21 45 3 0 46.67
I. Sharma 29 8 78 1 2.69

Cook had seemed on course for a third Test double century however he was sent back to the pavilion on 190 after being run out by Virat Kohli.

Cook was caught out of his crease at the non-striker's end by Kohli's sharp throw, with the England captain trying to get out of the way of the ball before grounding his bat.

It was the first time Cook had ever been run out in first-class cricket and a desperately sad end to his epic 377-ball innings.

England had overhauled India's first-innings total of 316 after lunch - with Cook and Jonathan Trott at the helm.

However Trott looked increasingly uncomfortable as the pitch began to turn - with Pragyan Ojha finally getting his man for 87. Trott tried pushing forward to one he could have perhaps left and only succeeded in edging it behind to MS Dhoni.

Following Cook's departure, Kevin Pietersen and the returning Ian Bell, who missed the second Test win, steadied the ship.

However India were able to wrestle their way back into the match in the final session - with three wickets falling.

Bell (5), Pietersen (54) and Samit Patel (33) were all sent back to give the hosts hope, although Matt Prior and Graeme Swann remained defiant - sharing an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 56.


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Early onslaught inspires Adelaide

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Strong-armed tactics ... Bruce Djite holds off Billy Celeski Source:News Limited

A dynamic first-half performance paves the way for Adelaide to return to top of the A-League ladder with a 4-2 win over Melbourne Victory at Hindmarsh Stadium.

Adelaide simply took their traditional rivals apart in the opening 45 minutes, with young gun Evan Kostopoulos scoring a double as the home side raced out to 4-1 half-time lead.

The pace slowed in the second half as the hot conditions took their toll but Adelaide still pressed and might have had more if not for some sloppy finishing.

P W D L GD Pts
1 Adelaide 10 7 1 2 8 22
2 Central Coast 9 6 2 1 9 20
3 Victory 10 5 1 4 -3 16
4 Newcastle 9 4 1 4 -3 13
5 Wellington 9 3 3 3 2 12
6 Perth 9 3 2 4 0 11
7 Brisbane 9 3 1 5 1 10
8 Western Sydney 9 3 1 5 -3 10
9 Heart 9 2 3 4 -1 9
10 Sydney 9 2 1 6 -10 7

Marco Rojas briefly raised Victory hopes early in the second half to bring the visitors back to within two goals, but Adelaide finished the stronger and deservedly picked up the three points.

Reds star Dario Vidosic crashed into his ex-teammate and now Victory linchpin Marcos Flores in an opening-second ripple which create a punishing physical undercurrent to the contest.

Within two minutes, Kostopoulos scored after a determined run from Fabio Ferreira.

By five minutes, Victory's Andrew Nabbout had netted a reply when superbly played into scoring position by a Rojas dash along the right side.

Adelaide went 2-1 up in the 21st minute when Ferreira scored, benefiting from a precocious volley from Marcelo Carrusca - the gifted Argentine was air-borne when he deftly used the outside of a boot to gift Ferreira the chance.

Just four minutes later, Carrusca himself scored with a sweet, curling left-footer.

And Carrusca provided another goal in the 32nd minute, the boom recruit delivering a pinpoint free kick which Kostopoulos headed into the net just metres from goal.

By half-time, there were five goals, six yellow cards and 16 fouls in a tempered affair in searing mid-30 degree heat which prompted a drinks breaks midway through the half.

And Rojas continued the hot theme just two minutes into the second half when he turned a defender inside the box and calmly netted his sixth goal for the season.

Adelaide (22 points) rose to top with the win, though second-placed Central Coast (20 points) can return to the head of the table with a win against Newcastle Jets on Saturday night.

Adelaide United coach John Kosmina praised his players for responding from their loss to Central Coast last weekend.

"It was an enjoyable victory, but all victories are enjoyable,'' Kosmina said.

"For me, football is about character as much as it is about football and the guys showed a stack of it to be able to bounce back from a loss last week.''

Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou said his men were completely outplayed by the Reds.

"I don't know if it was a reality check, Adelaide was just too good for us tonight ... but I'm fairly positive about where we are heading,'' he said.

"The task against a really good attacking team was too much for us tonight.''


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hot video: Renegades v Stars

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You're out ... Luke Wright got out trying a cheeky reverse sweep. Source: Michael Klein / News Limited

A scintillating hundred from Aaron Finch helped Melbourne Renegades win their local derby against Melbourne Stars at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.

Finch put on a masterclass in the first game season two of the KFC T20 Big Bash League, smashing four sixes and 12 fours on his way to 111 off just 65 balls.

He took a particular liking to Stars skipper Shane Warne, leaving the leg-spin legend with the unflattering figures of 0-41 off just two overs.

Earlier, a 50 by English import Luke Wright helped the Stars post a competitive total of 5-167, but this was chased down by the Renegades with 10 balls to spare, for the loss of just two wickets.


Click on the video at the top of the page to see the top six moments from the match, and read on below to see all the wickets, sixes and who took out the man of the match award!


THE WICKETS

THE SIXES 

MAN OF THE MATCH

And that's not it! We've also included individual videos of some of the best moments from Friday night's Big Bash opener, including the first ever use in a professional match of Zings Stumps, which light up when the bails are dislodged.

Check out the videos below!


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

BBL coverage receives top honour

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 06 Desember 2012 | 22.07

Royalty ... Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan kick off the second edition of the BBL on Friday. Source:News Limited

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On the eve of BBL|02, Fox Sports' ground-breaking coverage of the first edition of the relaunched competition has won a prestigious Australian Sports Commission media award for 'Best Coverage of Sport by an Organisation - Broadcast Media'.

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The standout moment was Shane Warne's dismissal of Brendon McCullum, to a plan he shared via microphone with rapt viewers.

Fox Sports delivered live and exclusive coverage of all 31 matches of the inaugural KFC T20 BBL, delivering a number of ground-breaking broadcast innovations and bringing a new level of intimacy to the viewing experience.

The competition resumes on Friday night with Warne again miked up when Melbourne Stars meet Melbourne Renegades, and there will be several innovations to this year's coverage including FoxKopter and light-up stumps and bails.

The 2012 KFC T20 Big Bash League was one of the most successful properties ever on Fox Sports, driving viewing up on average 66 per cent across December and January compared to the previous year.

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The tournament drew an average audience of 282,000 across the season and set a new subscription TV ratings record for cricket, with an average audience of 478,000 viewers.

You can also see more of the action this season on foxsports.com.au with the latest video highlights during and after matches, and expert columns focusing on all aspects of the exciting competition.

Fox Sports also won an award for 'Best Profiling of an Athlete, Team or Coach - Broadcast Media' for the profile on former Wallabies back Julian Huxley.

Huxley was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the peak of his career and survived surgery to return to elite rugby - against all odds and professional advice.


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mariners get tough ACL draw

Mariners ... cop a tough draw for the Asian Champions League. Source: Brett Costello / News Limited

Central Coast Mariners have been drawn against Guizhou Renhe from China, Korean side Suwon Samsung Bluewings and the winner of the Japanese Emperor's Cup which will be known on 1 January 2013 for next year's AFC Champions League.

The draw, which was made in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, saw A-League champions Brisbane pooled in Group E, providing they beat Thailand's Buriram United in a play-off.

Should they succeed, the Roar will play against FC Seoul from Korea, Japan's Vegalta Sendai and Chinese outfit Jiangsu Sainty.


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cook milestone puts England on top

Unstoppable ... Cook has made five tons on the trot as skipper. Source: AFP

It was a day of history in Kolkata as Alastair Cook became England's leading century maker, whilst guiding his side into a commanding position in the third Test against India at 1-216 to trail by just 100 at the end of day two.

3rd Test - Eden Gardens

5 December 2012 - Day 2, Session 3

England 1st Innings

A. Cook 136 236 19 1 57.63
J. Trott 21 67 3 0 31.34
Z. Khan 16 4 48 0 3.00

Cook moved out in front on his own on 23 Test centuries for England, eclipsing Wally Hammond Geoff Boycott and Kevin Pietersen.

It was a third Test century for Cook on the bounce, his fifth in a row as Test captain, and it also saw him become the youngest player to reach 7,000 Test runs as he and fellow opener Nick Compton capitalised on bowling India out for 316 by building a solid first-innings platform.

27-year-old Cook finished the day on 136 not out while Compton made his maiden Test fifty in their first century stand together, before he was trapped lbw by Pragyan Ojha for a solid if unspectacular 57 from 137 balls.

But at 1-165 England had already consolidated the fine work done by the bowlers on a decent deck for batting.

Cook was given an early lifeline when Zaheer Khan found an edge with the left-hander on just 17, but Cheteshwar Pujara dropped a relatively simple low catch at first slip.

From then on Cook was in more danger of being run out due to a collision with Compton than being outfoxed out by the Indian bowling.

India added 43 to their overnight score but 316 still looked short on a decent track, and Cook and Compton had few problems making it to lunch at 0-22 before pushing on in a second session that yielded 99 runs, few chances of a wicket and some distinctly average fielding from the hosts.

Cook brought up his 7,000th Test run with his 88th of the day, making him the youngest in history as he will not turn 28 until Christmas Day, and soon after he completed that memorable 23rd century with a paddle sweep for three off Ravi Ashwin.

Cook's century came off 179 balls and included 14 fours and a six, with his record still only taking him to 10th in the all-time list of Test centuries in world cricket, but with still plenty more years ahead of him to climb up those rankings.

Compton's innings ended the following over, with Ojha eventually getting the wicket after umpire Rod Tucker looked to at first shake his head before raising the finger.

Jonathan Trott avoided a third first-innings duck in a row to keep Cook company until the close on 21, with his record-setting captain unbeaten on 136 and England just 100 runs behind with plenty of time and plenty of batting in hand to press home their advantage.

Earlier, India added 43 to their overnight score, with MS Dhoni doing his best to frustrate England's bowlers as the hosts made it beyond the 300-mark to make a more competitive total.

The India skipper was the last-man out, as he fell to a great catch by Graeme Swann off the bowling of Steve Finn, but not before he had reached 52.


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Clarkie's 2012 Wallabies report card

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Job done ... The Wallabies will return in 2013 without the retired Nathan Sharpe. Source:AP

The Wallabies' 2012 season is finally over and now we can all move on and hopefully look ahead to bigger and better things next year.

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Let's face it, things need to improve or 2013 will be even more frustrating for fans.

The Wallabies receive a 'pass' mark from me simply because they won more than they lost. But the form wasn't good enough to win the Bledisloe Cup yet again, or the inaugural Rugby Championship. Their overall effort certainly won't be good enough to beat the British and Irish Lions next year either.

The Wallabies had nine wins, a draw and five losses. They started the year in second spot on the IRB rankings but finished one place lower in third. The gap between them and the All Blacks didn't narrow and they lost the Bledisloe series for the 10th year in a row.

Just like last season when they lost the opening Test to Samoa, the Wallabies fell at the first hurdle this year when they lost to Scotland in Newcastle.

Sure, there were some excuses. Key players were either injured or rested and it was a short preparation with a make-shift team, but I certainly didn't expect a first-up loss to a team that didn't win a match in the Six Nations.

The 3-0 series whitewash over Wales in June wasn't convincing with eight points separating them in Brisbane, two in Melbourne and just one in Sydney. There was no James Horwill, James O'Connor or Quade Cooper.

Kurtley Beale was injured for two Tests, but the side still had a reasonable look about it - on paper at least.

The two losses to the All Blacks were followed by two hard-fought victories at home against the Springboks and Pumas, but they were blown off the park in Pretoria when the Boks thumped them 31-8.

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Argentina is not an easy place to play, so the six-point win in Rosario gave us some hope for the third Bledisloe Test in Brisbane. By that stage the casualty ward was filling up. Horwill, Pocock, Genia, Kepu, Moore, Ioane, O'Connor, Alexander, Barnes, Horne, Cooper and Ashley-Cooper were all unavailable.

An 18-all draw with the world champions felt like a moral victory. At long last there was some well-earned optimism and new captain Nathan Sharpe challenged his men to remain unbeaten on the northern tour.

But as we've seen too many times now, the only consistent thing about the Wallabies is their inconsistency. Any hope of a clean slate on tour disappeared when a fired-up French team pulled off their second-biggest winning margin ever over Australia, 33-6.

For the fourth time in 2012 the Wallabies failed to score a try in a Test match.  They scored just one try in each of the next three games and despite beating England, Italy and Wales; they were held scoreless in two halves of the four Tests.

Australia had a very lean year in the try-scoring department, managing just 15 in 15 Tests. They failed to score 30 points or more in a Test for the first year since 1981. Yes, 31 years. They averaged 17.3 per game while conceding 20.2 per game.

But despite plenty of negatives, there were positives. With over 40 players used and 13 making their debut, our depth will be much better next year. Players like Michael Hooper, Sitaleki Timani, Kane Douglas, Liam Gill, Mike Harris and Ben Tapuai enhanced their reputations.

Nathan Sharpe's leadership and form in his swansong season was outstanding and he deserved to win the John Eales Medal for the second time. He led the stats in runs, lineout wins, tackles and minutes played. Not bad for a 34-year-old.

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No Wallabies were finalists for the IRB Player of the Year and realistically, only Sharpe would have been considered if they were picking a World XV.

Digby Ioane topped the charts for metres, tackle Busts and linebreaks, while Wycliff Palu averaged the most offloads. Five players shared the try-scoring honours with Rob Horne, Nick Cummins, Pat McCabe, Scott Higginbotham and Digby Ioane all getting two apiece. The rest could only manage five tries between them.

So as you check out my 2012 report card, remember that there was an unprecedented amount of injuries and debutants this year. With a bit of luck next year the Wallabies will be at full strength and ready to win back the support of the Australian sporting public. A series win over the Lions is not out of the question.

Overall rating: 6.5/10

Positives

The 18-all draw against New Zealand in Brisbane, four wins on the trot against Wales, back-to-back wins on home soil against South Africa and Argentina, and three in a row to end the spring tour.

Negatives

Lack of tries and inconsistency.

Coach rating: 7/10

Robbie Deans copped plenty of flak and yes some of it was warranted. But you have to remember that of the five Tests he lost, two were to the All Blacks and one each to the Springboks and France. They all finished the year in the top four on the IRB rankings.

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No other coach of a major rugby nation had to compensate for the amount of injuries the Wallabies suffered this year. It's hard to cover for the loss of three captains, the best scrumhalf in the world and James O'Connor who has more x-factor than anyone in the Wallabies squad, in my humble opinion. 

Deans was in a no-win situation against Scotland. With just one serious training session to mould a new combination that was missing big names through injury or rest, he was expected to win no matter what. Torrential rain in Newcastle didn't help his cause. I had never seen weather like it at a Test match.

2013 is his final year in the current contract. There has to be more tries scored or there will be no extension through to the next World Cup in 2015. Beating the Lions and winning the Bledisloe is a must.

Star performers

Seemingly out of favour at last year's World Cup, Nathan Sharpe bounced back to become Australia's most capped forward and the most capped lock in world rugby. He was voted the Players' Player of the Year and topped the stats in key categories. His leadership of an under-strength squad was outstanding.

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Adam Ashley-Cooper ended up in his best position at outside centre and while he didn't find the try line, he was "Mr Consistency" in the backline. He was second in metres, third in tackle busts and only Sharpe played more minutes than him. He's now played 53 of the last 56 Tests.

Berrick Barnes played his 50th Test in Cardiff and coming off a horror 2011 when he suffered his share of head knocks, he managed to play 13 of the 15 Tests this year. He showed his versatility playing 10, 12 and 15 and also scored 110 points. A good effort considering there weren't many tries scored and he didn't kick in Cardiff.

Emerging talent

Flanker Michael Hooper has to top the list. The 21-year-old featured in all but one of the 15 Tests and was a standout in most of them. He was third in metres, second in tackles and his work on the ball was impressive.

David Pocock showed his class with a top performance against Wales after a long injury break, but Australia now has another top-notch flanker.

Others that deserve a mention are Sitaleki Timani, Kane Douglas, Ben Tapuai and Nick Cummins.

Reinforcements

It's been a horror season on the injury front as I've already mentioned above, but I'll list them again because I can't wait to see them back in the gold jersey. James Horwill, James O'Connor, Will Genia. I'd like to say Quade Cooper and Israel Folau, but that might be a bit premature.

2013

The British and Irish Lions will be tough to beat as usual. England's win over the All Blacks at Twickenham and Wales' effort against the Wallabies will give them plenty of confidence. They'll be well coached by Warren Gatland and the Wallabies will need to be at full strength and at their best if they're to succeed.

The Lions will have a match against the Barbarians in Hong Kong on the way Down Under, and they'll have plenty of warm-up games before the first Test. The Wallabies won't have the luxury of a long preparation or a trial, so they'll need to hit the ground running.

The Lions tour will be huge and provide good revenue for the ARU. That series should have the Wallabies primed for The Rugby Championship and another crack at winning the Bledisloe.

All in all, it's shaping up to be a big year and I'm predicting that Rugby will regain some of the ground it lost in 2012.

Thanks for watching our coverage on Fox Sports and I look forward to your company in 2013.


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

No in-fighting at Roar: Paartalu

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 05 Desember 2012 | 22.07

Not sorry ... Paartalu says Roar need to stick together. Source: Jono Searle / News Limited

A week after sparking rumours of in-fighting, Brisbane midfielder Erik Paartalu hoped his "misconstrued" comments helped the Roar come out swinging in their A-League title defence.

And Paartalu believed he had set the tone with his involvement in a last-round melee that earned him a yellow card.

Last week, he appeared to criticise coach Rado Vidosic after the Brisbane mentor described their play against Central Coast in round eight as silly, naive and of a kindergarten standard.

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But Paartalu said on Wednesday: "I definitely don't apologise for my comments (but) I definitely think they were misconstrued.

"Between our four walls in the dressing room, there are no problems and never been problems between players and coaching staff - we are a close bunch.

"I wasn't referring to just Rado's comments. I was referring to everyone's comments during that time of our bad couple of results.

"What I was saying was that everyone needed to try and be positive.

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"We need to get out of this. There is no point holding back - we need to fight for everything now."

Paartalu admitted he breathed a little easier when told he had no further case to answer after a melee erupted following teammate Thomas Broich's send-off in last round's 1-0 win over the Newcastle Jets.

Paartalu ran in from a distance to assist after Broich's altercation with Jets' defender Josh Mitchell.

Broich's red card was later rescinded.

"You never know which way that is going to go," Paartalu said.

"My intention was not to push him (Mitchell) over but to hold him away from Thomas.

"But I got a push from another player and I fell onto Josh.

"It looked nasty at real speed but I was always confident that I had nothing to answer for, once they looked at the footage."

Paartalu hoped his actions sent a message to teammates as they tried to turn their season around.

After nine rounds, Brisbane (3-1-5 win-draw-loss) are seventh in the 10-team league.

"We all need to stick together and stand up for each other," Paartalu said.

"There was no way I was going to let one of our players get bullied by someone else."


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Scorchers vow to make amends

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New season ... Perth Scorchers looking to put the Champions League disaster behind them. Source: Schalk van Zuydam / AP

New Perth Scorchers captain Simon Katich says the fallout from the squad's boozy Champions League campaign will spur the team on to greater heights during the KFC T20 Big Bash League season.

The Scorchers hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons in October after a team dinner to celebrate Mitch Marsh's 21st birthday in South Africa turned into an alcohol-fuelled big night out.

Perth crashed out of the group stage after managing just one win, with captain Marcus North and coach Lachlan Stevens standing down from their roles shortly after the tournament.

Former Test great Justin Langer has since been appointed coach, while Katich, who was the first to express his displeasure at the Scorchers' misbehaviour in South Africa, has been named captain.

Katich said the team were desperate to make amends for their antics in South Africa, starting with Sunday's match against the Adelaide Strikers at the WACA Ground.

"Hopefully, the guys have learnt from the mistakes we made as a group in South Africa," Katich said on Wednesday.

"We have to earn some respect back.

"A lot is expected, and I guess the rules have been laid out now for everyone to know and abide by.

"That will hopefully spur us on for a good season.

"Sometimes those bad times, you learn a lot from it.

"As a group, there's been a lot of people taking shots at the team - that's warranted.

"Our performances weren't great in South Africa. We let ourselves down. We get a chance now to atone for that."

Star allrounder Mitch Marsh (hamstring) and ace paceman Pat Cummins (back) will miss the tournament for the Scorchers through injury.


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Club council denies Grant rift

Under pressure? ... NRL club council has denied a rift with John Grant. Source: AAP

The NRL Club Council has dismissed reports it is lobbying against the ARL Commission, saying it is fully behind chairman John Grant and incoming chief executive Dave Smith, who starts his new role on February 1.

The council will meet Grant and interim CEO Shane Mattiske on Monday and Wests Tigers' chairman Dave Trodden said reports clubs are at odds with the commission are wide of the mark.

"It was largely through the efforts of John Grant and the commission that we established the Club Council as a way for the clubs and the commission to interact," Trodden said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Far from being dissatisfied with the commission or John Grant, the Club Council is supportive of what they are trying to achieve and the fact they are changing the way business is conducted in rugby league.

"The commission has recognised the importance of funding the clubs, laid out a strategic plan, conducted a long-needed review of funding across the wider game, consolidated development, delivered a record season in terms of crowds, a record television rights deal, made hard decisions around refereeing and established a new way of dealing with clubs through the Club Council.

"There are always going to be points of discussion between the council and the commission and that is a healthy part of any relationship, but there is also unwavering support for what the commission is trying achieve and for the role of the chairman."


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Selectors opt for Hughes: reports

Comeback kid ... Phil Hughes looks to have got the nod to replace Ricky Ponting. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

Twice-dropped top order batsman Phil Hughes is reportedly set to be recalled to the Test team to replace retired champion Ricky Ponting for the Sri Lanka series.

November 20 2007 - Makes NSW debut at age 18

2007/08 Pura Cup final - Scores a quick-fire second innings 116 to help the Blues to victory

February 26 2009 - Makes Test debut in Johannesburg

March 6 2009 - Makes first Test hundred in Durban, before adding a second ton in the second innings

2009 Ashes series - Dropped after being found out by short-pitched bowling

2010/11 Ashes series - Recalled for Third Test to replace injured Simon Katich

Sri Lanka 2011 - Looks to cement spot with 126 in Colombo

2011 v New Zealand - Dropped after two Test series following four dismissals in a row caught at slip by Martin Guptill off the bowling of Chris Martin for low scores.

December 2012 - Set for recall to Test side to replace Ricky Ponting

News Limited newspapers are reporting that Hughes has won favour for the vacant No.3 position in front of the likes of Usman Khawaja, Rob Quiney and Tasmania's Alex Doolan.

His name will be read out on Thursday when the squad for next week's first Test in Hobart is announced.

It will mark a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the one-time wonderkid of Australian cricket, after he trudged away from last year's Hobart Test against New Zealand with his cricket career in ruins.

After a series of humiliating dismissals, caught at second slip off the bowling of Chris Martin, it looked a long way back for the young prodigy, who had burst onto the international scene with a hundred in just his second Test in South Africa.

His second dumping from the Test side inside two years forced Hughes to completely strip back his technique and start from scratch with batting coach Neil D'Costa.

A change of environment was next, with Hughes turning his back on his home state of NSW at the end of last season, in favour of a switch to South Australia under the tutelage of Darren Berry.

And the move has paid dividends, with Hughes averaging 51.8 in Sheffield Shield for the Redbacks this season.

The pint-sized left-hander has twice had his technique unravelled by a Test attack - first in an Ashes series in England, then in last season's home Test summer against New Zealand.

But the selectors have kept their faith with the 24-year-old and will have that faith put to the test starting next Friday.


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Clarke at five is fine: Warne

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 04 Desember 2012 | 22.07

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Clearly the best ... Shane Warne says Michael Clarke should get to bat wherever he wants. Source: Sarah Reed / News Limited

As Ricky Ponting's retirement leaves a hole in Australia's top order, Test great Shane Warne says skipper Michael Clarke is clearly the best player in the side and should bat wherever he pleases.

Cricket Australia's national talent manager and former skipper Greg Chappell has led calls for the in-form Clarke to promote himself from No.5 to No.4.

The retirement of No.4 Ricky Ponting on Monday has left a vacancy in the top four for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart starting on December 14.

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Australia coach and selector Mickey Arthur has already indicated he wants to move Shane Watson from No.3 to No.4 and bring in a new player for the crucial No.3 role.

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South Australia's Phil Hughes, Queensland's Usman Khawaja and Victoria's Rob Quiney would be the main candidates to fill the slot, leaving Clarke and veteran Michael Hussey to bat in the middle order at No.5 and No.6.

"Out of Perth there's going to be a de-brief about what happened, what went wrong," Warne told reporters on Tuesday night of Australia's massive loss in the third Test to South Africa.

"With the loss of Ricky now, they have to work out what's the best batting order.

"To me it would be up to Michael Clarke what the best batting order is.

"He's the captain of the side (and a selector). He'll work in conjunction with the selectors.

"Michael Clarke's the best player in the side.

"You want your best player wherever he feels comfortable and wherever he feels is the best place to bat for him, that's where he should bat.

"You work your team around that because he's in such great form.

"Michael Clarke can bat anywhere from one to six. He's such a good player of the spinners too.

"Let's just work out who's the player they're going to pick for the next Test match and that will help dictate the side as well."

Warne welcomed the move to slide Watson out of the top three.

"I've always said Shane Watson should be down the order a little bit," Warne said.

"Even though he's done well opening, it suits him in the middle order better."

Warne, 43, will captain Melbourne Stars in the opening match of the BBL season against Melbourne Renegades at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.


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Ogle's Australian Open picks

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Winner ... Graeme McDowell snapped a two-year winless drought to take out the World Challenge. Source:AFP

It was great to see Graeme McDowell end a two-year winless drought on the weekend, taking out the 18-man field World Challenge by three shots from Keegan Bradley.

The 32-year-old from Northern Ireland has built an affinity with California since winning the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach. His record at the Sherwood Country Club now reads two victories and a runner up in three starts.

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Boy, what a record!

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Over in South Africa Martin Kaymer claimed the lucrative Nedbank Challenge by two shots from home town favourite Charl Schwartzel. It was the German's first victory since taking out the WGC-HSBC Champions event last year and like McDowell's victory, the win will give him a boat load of confidence heading into next season.

Peter Fowler took down the best seniors going around with an impressive six-shot win at the Australian Senior Open at Royal Perth Golf Club. His year was plagued with near misses too, including two runner-ups over on the European Senior Tour.

He's like a fine bottle of red Chooky, he's getting better as he's ageing!

21-year-old Matt Steiger from Narrabri took out the NSWPGA Championship at the magnificent Mt Broughton Golf Club which is located in the picturesque Southern Highlands (just near Bowral) on the weekend. Steiger fired an impressive four under-par 68 on the final day to win by three shots from another promising young gun in Queensland's Daniel Nisbett.

It's been an unbelievable past couple of months on our home Tour with a raft of young talent putting their hands up. Also joining Steiger in the winner's circle were amateurs Jake Higginbottom and Oliver Goss.

Gotta love the nerve of the young guys!

Congratulations to Daniel Gaunt and Cronulla Golf Club's Scott Arnold who were successful in gaining their Tour cards for the 2013 European Tour season, while on the US Tour Steven Bowditch and Matt Jones will be heading back for another crack next year.

The Australian Open hits the Lakes Golf Club in Sydney again this week with Greg Chalmers returning to defend his title. It's a crack-hot field led by eight-time Major winner Tom Watson. The veteran, now 63, has proven in recent times he can still mix it with the youngsters, almost winning the British Open.

I like two players this week. The first is Justin Rose; the Englishman has been in irresistible form the past couple of months posting five top-six finishes, including a win at the World Turkish Final.

And I think John Senden can go one better this year after his runner-up performance behind Chalmers twelve months ago. The Lakes Golf Club suits his game to a tee and I expect another bold run.


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Freney wins top female award

Gold star ... Jacqueline Freney has won the the Prime Minister's 2012 female sports award. Source: Paul Ellis / AFP

After carving her place in Paralympic history, swimmer Jacqueline Freney has received the Prime Minister's top award for women in sport.

Freney, one of Australia's most successful Paralympians, was awarded the Prime Minister's women in sport award on Tuesday night at an Australian Women's Health ceremony in Sydney.

The 20-year-old Queenslander's gold medal haul numbered eight, one for every event she competed in London.

Two of the performances were under world record time.

Freney also created Paralympic history beating Siobhan Paton's record of six gold at the Sydney Games. Sports Minister Kate Lundy presented the award to Freney, on behalf of the Prime Minister.

Freney is the first recipient of the award since 1996 after the Gillard government reinstated the award earlier this year.

Last month Freney took out the 2012 Australian Paralympian of the Year Award.


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Warne leaves door open for Ashes

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Give me a call, Pup ... Warne says he would have to consider a personal request from Clarke. Source:News Limited

Shane Warne would consider answering an Ashes SOS from Australia captain Michael Clarke.

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The legendary leg-spinner, preparing for the Big Bash League opener on Friday night, said he was bowling as well as at any time since retiring from Test cricket in 2007.

Warne, 43, said he had "absolutely no doubt" he could bowl successfully at Test level again.

While he was "very happily" retired from international cricket, in light of Australia's bowling battle in Perth this week, the Victorian said if the call came from his best mate Clarke, he'd have to rethink.

"If your best friend says, 'Mate, I want you to seriously consider making a commitment to Australian cricket and coming back out of retirement', (to) make myself available for selection, that's a different scenario,'' Warne said.

"Especially with back-to-back Ashes coming up next year, it could be a 12-month thing where you take three spinners with you and say, 'Righto, work with these spinners and see how you go for 12 months.' That's a different kettle of fish.

"I'm definitely not asking for Michael Clarke to come out and say that - that's a different scenario.

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"You asked me if I think I could still play international cricket if I wanted to just turn up, do my bowling and if the first Test match was in three weeks, do you think I could play, (then) I'd have no hesitation in saying yes - and I think I'd do pretty well.

"From a purely bowling perspective, I don't think my form would be the concern, it's just the time and actually making that commitment again.

"My kids are turning 16, 14 and 12 next year and we're juggling two continents, (wife-to-be) Elizabeth's (Hurley) work and my work commitments.

"There's travel, sponsors, businesses, there are charities, so much stuff that I'd basically have to put it all on hold to make a commitment to international cricket.

"That's the reason I haven't for a while said I'm gonna make a comeback.

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"For me it's not a matter of whether I could do it or not - I have absolutely no doubt if I wanted to commit to try to make a comeback and go through grade cricket, first-class cricket and try to get selected ... that I could do it."

Warne, who has taken 195 Ashes wickets in 36 Tests at a staggering 23.25, said he felt the urge during the third Test against South Africa in Perth watching the Australia bowling attack hammered around the WACA Ground.

"I felt like I wanted to jump off the couch and grab the ball,'' he said.

"I really felt for Michael Clarke from a captaincy point of view.

"When you've got international bowlers bowling one or two full-tosses an over and half-volleys, I felt for Pup, I really felt for him."

Warne was delighted with his bowling at the MCG yesterday in the Stars' second practice match in as many days.

"The ball's coming out pretty good and I'm looking forward to fizzing them on Friday," he said.

"I think I'm bowling as good as I have for a long time - the best I have since I retired from international cricket in 2007.

"It's because I'm fresh. I don't bowl for 9-10 months of the year and bowl 5000 overs any more.

"My body's feeling fresh and strong and fit. My mind's fresh from it all and off the field is very happy, I'm content and looking forward to playing."

Do you want Warnie back in the Test team? Let us know.


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Warne backs Quiney, Ponting unsure

Written By Unknown on Senin, 03 Desember 2012 | 22.07

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Candidate ... Rob Quiney is being backed as Ricky Ponting's successor by Shane Warne. Source:AP

In the aftermath of Australia's series loss to South Africa and Ricky Ponting's final Test match, the Tasmanian says there are four obvious candidates to replace him.

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However Australia spin legend Shane Warne says the choice is obvious, stating that Rob Quiney is the only man qualified to be a Test batsman who isn't already in the side.

Ponting believes Quiney, Phil Hughes and Usman Khawaja deserve to be leading the pack, but also gives fellow Tasmanian Alex Doolan a hope.

But Ponting refused to give his opinion on who should get the nod, conceding there's an argument to be made for all four.

Hughes, Quiney and Khawaja have all had a taste at Test level, but have failed to take their opportunity.

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Hughes shapes as the favourite given he already has three Test hundreds to his name and is the leading run-scorer in Sheffield Shield this season for South Australia.

However, Ponting said Khawaja is in the form of his life after moving to Queensland and argued Quiney might be foremost in selectors' minds because he played Tests one and two against South Africa.

''Rob Quiney didn't perform the way he would have liked, but he was first choice batsman going into Brisbane,'' Ponting said.

''I know Hughes and Khawaja are out there scoring runs nearly every game they play now.

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''It's really good to see those guys putting their hand up for selection.

''Maybe Alex Doolan for the big hundred he scored against South Africa (for Australia A).

''Whichever way they go you can guarantee they'll have a good replacement for me.''

However Warne feels Victoria batsman Quiney deserves to replace Ponting despite the miserable start to his Test career.

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Quiney managed just nine runs in three innings in the first two Tests against South Africa, before being dropped when Shane Watson returned from injury for the Perth decider.

Quiney's failures have seemingly left Phil Hughes and Usman Khawaja as the top candidates to replace Ponting - who played his final Test innings on Monday - when Australia begin their next Test series against Sri Lanka, starting in Hobart on December 14.

But Warne said Quiney remained the best long-term option at No.3 as Australia look towards trying to regain the Ashes next year.

He said Quiney should not be overlooked based on two Tests against the world No.1 team.

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''He's been the best player for a period of time now,'' Warne told reporters in Melbourne.

''Yes, he didn't do that well and he had three hits in two Tests, got a pair, didn't play that well.

''But it's a great time to get Bobby in now for the next series.

''You've got to start looking ahead and say these guys we bring in, who's going to play pretty well in India? Who's going to play well in England against the swinging and seaming ball?

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''Bobby Quiney's got the best technique out of any of the candidates bar none ... I'm pretty confident Bobby will be there for at least four or five years if he gets a good run at it.''

Australia tour India for a four-Test series in February-March then head to England for the Ashes series in July.

Warne said the bowling attack also needed work, given the way they were belted around by South Africa in the second innings in Perth.

''The conditions, okay it was a bit flat, but I think Michael Clarke had no chance to set a field when guys are bowling knee-high full tosses, wide, straight, full, short,'' Warne said.

''... I felt like jumping off the couch, flying to Perth and grabbing the ball.''


22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

As it happened: AUS v SA, T3, D4

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Fired up ... Dale Steyn and co. ripped through Australia's fragile batting order on day four. Source: Daniel Wilkins / News Limited

South Africa have retained their world No.1 ranking after bowling Australia out on day four of the third Test to win by 309 runs and take out the series between the top two ranked sides in the world 1-0.

Australia never looked like pulling off what would have been a world record run chase in Ricky Ponting's final match in Test cricket, eventually being dismissed for 322.

Mitchell Starc provided some stern lower order resistance with that bat, belting the second fastest Test half-century in history, but he only delayed the inevitable as Graeme Smith's men marched to victory.

Relive all the action from our live and interactive blog below!

You can also review all the stats, pitch maps and wagon wheels at our Cricket Match Centre.


3rd Test - WACA Ground

30 November 2012 - Day 4, Session 3

Australia 2nd Innings

M. Starc 68 43 9 2 158.14
N. Lyon 31 43 6 0 72.09
D. Steyn 22.5 6 72 3 3.15

Latest comments (all times EDT):

1948: SB says: Thanks for you company over the series, folks. Be sure to stay in touch with us here for all the squad news ahead of the Sri Lanka series. Don't forget to join Trent Hile, Antony Pinshaw and perhaps myself again, for a little cameo anyway, when it all begins again in Hobart!

1944: FOUR! Lyon plays a glorious cut shot off Steyn wide of gully and out to the boundary! WICKET! It's all over at the WACA Ground! Dale Steyn grabs the final wicket of the series as Lyon guides one straight to Graeme Smith at slip. The Proteas win the third and final Test, retaining the world No.1 ranking in the process, by 309 runs.

1941: Vernon Philander takes the new ball from the other end and he comes in for similar punishment, Starc picking the ball up off a length and lifting it over mid-on for FOUR! Two balls later and it's carbon copy! Starc is playing a brilliant innings here, the Aussie left-hander is now on 68 while his half-century was the second fastest Test 50 by an Australian! The partnership is now worth 83 and Australia are 9-318!

1938: FOUR! Lyon flicks Steyn off his hip for another boundary out through square leg. EDGE! The Aussie spinner picks up four runs as the new ball flies between Smith and Kallis at second and third slip. Lyon is now 27 and Australia are 9-310.

1933: FOUR! Starc shows he isn't just an on-side player with a glorious straight drive wide of mid-off from the bowling of du Plessis. Lyon is then very nearly cleaned up as he attempts a sweep, the ball just bouncing over the top of middle stump. FOUR! Starc moves to 60 with a cracking cut shot behind point. Australia are now 9-302, with the 10th-wicket partnership at 67.

1930: FOUR! Lyon turns Steyn around the corner to fine leg with the ease of a top-order batsman. These two Aussie tail-enders are really showing their friends at the top of the order a thing or two. That being said, the new ball is due shortly so it could all come to an end very soon. Australia 9-292.

1928: Stephen of west pennant hills says: Australia were unlucky not to at least have a 1-1 draw with South Africa. Then again if it had of been a 5 test series they would have whipped us in the next 2 tests.

Clark Kitchen of Suva says: It is really set in stone now for Australia to give their batting lineup up a thorough retooling before the next contest of the urn with the old enemy or the Aussies will be spanked by the pommies come 2013.

1927: Barryhall says: for real et al comment 21, your desperation is showing POM

1926: Mark says: @Umm no, he was telling the truth. Australia were beaten by the superior team or is that false?

1925: Smith throws the ball to Faf du Plessis for a trundle. FOUR! Starc takes an immediate liking to du Plessis, the Aussie speedster thumping him over mid-on for a boundary and then out to deep backward point for three, bringing up a fine half-century in the process.

1922: Dale Steyn is back into the attack as the Proteas look to wrap things up. He immediately draws a false shot from Starc, who spoons one just short of Dean Elgar at short cover. The Aussie quick answers back quickly though, picking up two runs with a nice straight drive off the back foot for two. He's moved to 43 and Australia are now 9-279.

1917: FOUR! Starc jumps onto a short one from Peterson and cracks the Proteas left-armer out to cow corner for a boundary. FOUR! Not to be outdone, Lyon plays a glorious sweep shot in front of square to show his fellow tail-ender - and some of the other Aussie batsmen - that it's not too difficult out there. Australia 9-275.

1914: FOUR! Starc moves to 34 with a cracking pull shot out to the deep square-leg boundary. The Aussie quick took the ball from right in front of his nose, rolled the wrists on it perfectly and picked up four runs for his efforts. He attempts a similar shot next ball but doesn't quite time this one and only picks up a single. Australia 9-264.

1913: Umm NO says: TIMO of PINETOWN >>keep shouting, I am sure there is some one that believes you.LoL.

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1910: FOUR! Lyon gets off the mark by sweeping Peterson from outside off-stump. The Aussie spinner gets one over his fellow tweaker by finding the boundary at deep square-leg. He then picks up another two runs with another sweep shot, this time in front of square. Australia 9-257.

1909: What THE says: Pathetic, how are these clowns 3rd in the rankings!!

SB says: It certainly has been a disappointing day, What The!

1907: Nathan Lyon, Australia's No.11, plays and misses at a couple of Morkel's deliveries but manages to avoid edging one behind. Australia 9-250.

1905: c3vzn says: @Gus I agree with that team, except I fear Johnson could have a shocker next match. I say try Hazlewood or just go with Hilf.

1904: Playsiddlenextime of Melbourne says: Look at the way Australia bat compared to South Africa in Adelaide. We threw the towel in midway through our first innings, mentally fragile and no guts. Steyn and Morkel are quality bowlers in fairness. Philander's good with the new ball but Robin Peterson is at best an average first class cricketer. To watch him cleaning up supposedly good batsmen on a good batting track makes you wonder if there were any strange bets that went on at the start of this test match. Too many players threw their wickets away on bad deliveries for it to be a coincidence.

1902: SIX! Peterson throws another tempting delivery up to Starc and the Aussie bowler takes full advantage by cracking the ball back over his head. SIX! Starc punishes Peterson yet again, the ball this time just clearing Alviro Petersen at long-on. Starc is now 26 and Australia are 9-248.

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1901: Protea Boy of South Africa says: Cricket guy of SA - Never kick anyone when they are down. Australia have a proud history in Cricket. Something I have respected for many years. A team can never stay on top forever. We will need to prove much more in the future to get anywhere near the might Ozzies of the past.

1900: The gunt says: I'm happy with this test not ending in a draw, would have been a boring end to an inevitable result, by that I mean SA retaining number one status... Lose or draw, that's the end result. The second we lost punter, it was clear that Clarke was either gonna make an aggressive charge and see what happened... Lucked out, big deal, extra days rest for the same result.... Atleast he is a positive captain, and we may lose a few, but we will win alot more...

1859: Parko of Queanbeyan says: South Africa are going to win by nearly FOUR HUNDRED runs and all you SHEEP were fooled by the media again.

1857: WICKET! Hastings is headed back to the sheds after edging Morne Morkel to Graeme Smith at first slip. Truth be told, it was probably de Villiers's catch but Smith moved nicely to his left to swallow up another one. Australia are now 9-235.

1855: SB says: Hastings is playing a nice little cameo here. He's taking the long blade to Peterson and moves to 20 with another booming lofted drive down the ground.

1852: Parko of Queanbeyan says: Sam Bruce is okay.

Mark of Melbourne says: Our first loss in almost a year and you clowns carry on like we got hammered by England in the Ashes again. There won't be wholesale changes to our side like so much of you are praying for, because our selectors aren't stupid and know that making wholesale changes after one test loss would be detrimental to our side. Fix up the health of our bowlers first and make sure our young talent in Pattinson and Cummins don't waste their careers dealing with injury. As for our batsmen, it's all in the head. Let them gel together and they will be formidable come the Ashes, instead of making wholesale changes and unsettling the team. What a shame most Australians can't accept the fact we got belted by a better team, show some respect to South Africa please. I'm pretty sure they never carried on like this when we belted them on a consistent basis, let alone after one test!

1850: TIMO of PINETOWN RSA says: ALL THE AUZZIE HULLABALLO ABOUT OLD BOYS CLUB,RUBBISH,THE AUZZIES ARE A GREAT GREAT TEAM AND SPORTING NATION,AND PLAY EXCELLENT SPORT,AUZ FORGET THE WHYS LOOK AT HOW JUST BEATEN BY A FAR SUPERIOR TEAM ON THE DAY

Protea Boy of South Africa says: I personally thought the Ozzies would show more fight, considering the fight put up by South Africa in the last test. There was no way that Australia were ever going to win the test, thus closing shop would have been the logical approach and fighting for a draw. I find the way they played strange. Australia could easily have won the second test but great batting by SA saved the day. There are still three wickets standing and it will take a monumental effort for Australia to stave off defeat. A pity it was a three match series... Bye Punter - I have always enjoyed your fight and determination.

1848: Parko of Queanbeyan says: Where is Ripper now? Again - EASIEST $540 you'd make in a day. Thanks very much. People, sorry SHEEP, get swayed by the media/comentators who HAVE to try and sell the game to the public -it's not OPTIMISM it's DELUSIONAL as indeed, Pessimism is quite often proven to be REALISM.

Mark says: SB, what's your 11 for Tassie? Should Clarke move to 3? Should Khawaja or Hughes come in? How about Bird, Cutting?

SB says: G'day Mark. It's a tough one. I haven't seen a lot of Khawaja this summer but have caught a couple of Hughes's knocks in the Ryobi Cup. He looks to be in pretty good form to me but I'm just not sure whether he's buried the demons of last year's Martin-Guptill debacle. So, I'm going to go with Khawaja. I didn't see it but everyone was raving about Alex Doolan's knock in Sydney, too. For the bowlers, I'd like to see Jackson Bird get the nod. I was on the other end of a few of his bouncers at junior level so it'd be nice to see him don the baggy green. He obviously loves the wicket down there in Hobart, too.

1843: SIX! John Hastings gives the Aussies fans at the WACA Ground something to smile about with a huge six up into the stand over mid-on from the bowling of Peterson. FOUR! Following the lead of Hastings, Mitchell Starc then gets off the mark with a boundary out to mid-wicket. SIX! Hastings hits his second maximum with another shot beyond the pickets over mid-on. Australia are now 8-222.

1841: WICKET! Philander continues the rot for Australia by drawing the edge from Mitchell Johnson. AB de Villiers takes another regulation catch to add to his list of dismissals for the match. Johnson departs for two and Australia are now 8-204.

1838: Peterson has settled right in out there, he's flighting the ball nicely and bowling a few yards slower than what Nathan Lyon was for Australia. He bowls a maiden and Australia remain 7-204.

1833: SB says: Welcome back, folks. Vernon Philander takes the first over after tea and begins around the wicket to Mitchell Johnson. Interestingly, all of Channel Nine's commentators were calling for the return of Khawaja for Hobart and, Parko, Phil Hughes is on the radar. Michael Slater said he just wanted to see one or two more big scores from the left-hander before he returns to the side. Philander begins with a maiden after tea, Australia 7-204.

Gus of Sydney has a squad for Hobart: 1.Cowan 2.Warner 3.Clarke 4.Hussey 5.Usman k 6.Watson 7. Wade. 8. Johnson 9.Siddle 10. Lyon 11. Starc. We shoud have tied this Test. What was with the fall of wickets? They were all stupid.

1818: The Usual Suspect of State of Despair says: I hope the selectors at the end of this tour put their collectives hands up and accept responsibility for losing us the series. The old boys club has never been stronger in Australia and never been more embarrassing. I don't think the long term future for Australian cricket is looking all that wonderful under the current administration. Maybe its already time for the next inquiry.

1815: ZSM of Brisbane says: Way too aggressive. 5 of the 7 wickets to fall have been the batsman trying to force the pace. Only Warner and Watson can say they got genuinely good balls. Really disappointing. I'd have thought a much better strategy would have been to try and wear them down. Oh well, expecting them to bat 2 plus days and/or make 600 plus runs was always going to be an impossible task.

1810: SB says: That's tea, folks. Australia are 7-204. It's looking very much like the Proteas are going to wrap this one up tonight. The Australia batsman have played some pretty ordinary shots it must be said. What changes would you be making for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Adelaide? let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

1806: Hastings picks up his first runs of the second innings with a drive off the back foot wide of mid-off. It won't worry the Proteas too much as it was on the up and, just as I write that, he pops one up just wide of the silly mid-off. Australia 7-203.

Ben Crase had some thoughts on Shane Watson from earlier this afternoon: How many times can we say "Shane Watson Looked good for 30 – 40 odd"? Isn't it time to find another answer at 3? Can we not ask the same question of the erratic Dave Warner, is a century every 20 innings a decent return on investment?

1804: Cricket boys of SA says: Lol boys against men!!!!! Oh dear Aussies batsmen getting a schoolboy lesson.

1800: WICKET! South Africa are cruising towards victory after Matthew Wade becomes Robin Peterson's third victim. The Aussie keeper went for the big early drive, as his natural game, and hit the ball straight to Graeme Smith at cover - the Proteas captain of course made no mistake. Wade returns to the pavilion having made 10; Mitchell Johnson is now at the wicket alongside Hastings. Australia are now 7-200.

1756: John Hastings is now at the wicket with Wade, the debutant defending his first three balls from Steyn away on the off-side.

1754: Dale Steyn returns to the attack at the expense of Morne Morkel who was struggling with his line. WICKET! Steyn makes an immediate breakthrough as he removes Hussey caught behind. Steyn drew Hussey into a drive with a ball the left-hander had previously been leaving and it was just the slightest of movement away that saw the ball catch the edge. De Villiers can't keep himself out of the action at the moment, although it was a regulation catch. Hussey goes for 26 and Australia are now 6-198.

1751: FOUR! Matthew Wade take up where he left off in the first innings as he pulls Elgar out to the square-leg boundary for two boundaries. Australia 5-198.

Brenton of Queensland is back: The standard line to trot out after seeing Dean Elgar bowl would be: 'as a bowler he makes a great bastman', but that'd be a flat out lie. Still, he can tell his grandkids he played in Ponting's last test and won, so good on him.

SB says: Once again the selection of shots from our top order has been horrible. Clarke is usually such a great player of spin but on this occasion his head was skyward and it was nothing more than a wild swipe. Fair play to Peterson though, he gave the ball a little extra flight and it just caught the edge of the rough for a little extra bounce. Well bowled - bad shot.

1742: Matthew Wade joins Hussey at the wicket, the keeper defending his first two balls away on the off-side.

1740: Peterson draws an edge from Hussey but the ball flies wide of Jacques Kallis at slip and the Aussie left-hander picks up three runs. WICKET! Clarke is deceived by Peterson who gets one to turn a little out of the rough, the Aussie captain stumped in a sharp piece of work from AB de Villiers. Clarke goes for 44 and Australia are now battling at 5-188.

1536: FOUR! Elgar serves up two full tosses to start his over before Clarke eventually smacks the third one out to the mid-wicket boundary for four. Clarke has raced to 44 and Australia are now 4-185.

1532: FOUR! Hussey blasts Peterson through cover-point with a thunderous cut shot off the back foot. The left-hander exacting revenge after Peterson hurled the ball back at him after fielding the ball from his own bowling. Hussey has now moved to 23. What's this @brenton of Queensland! We have Dean Elgar into the attack!

Another Punter Fan says: I know exactly what you mean, Leo Press of Newcastle....I too idolise the great Punter, and had to wipe away the tears when he got out. Do you have an autographed poster of the great man on your bedroom wall too? I bet you do.

1728: Clarke picks up another three runs and moves to 38 as Morkel again strays onto his pads, the Aussie skipper working him down to the square-leg boundary where the ball is just cut off just inside the rope. Clarke and Hussey aren't having too much trouble out there at the moment and with 40 minutes left before tea they're edging towards 200. Hussey picks up three runs from the final ball of the over with a lovely cover-drive. Australia 4-176.

1724: Brenton of Queensland is back with another dig at Elgar: Dare I say it... Dean Elgar: picked as a specialist fielder?

1722: FOUR!
Clarke follows up three runs from Hussey with a lovely on-drive from Peterson through mid-wicket. As usual, the Aussie skipper's footwork is exemplary and he again makes it back-to-back boundaries with a lofty shot in the same direction. Clarke then gets a little lucky when he advances down the pitch again, but this time hits one just short of mid-off. Australia 4-164.

1717: Morkel continues from the other end and immediately tests Hussey's reflexes after drinks with a short one. There's no movement for Morkel at the moment and the bounce still looks to be pretty true, too. There might be just a hint of late swing away from the left-hander. Hussey drops one wide of cover and picks up a single for the only runs of the over. Australia 4-153.

1713: SB says: The players return to action after a well-deserved drinks break. I'm going to throw it out there and ask for responses as to when this game will end. Will it be this session, today's final session or in one of tomorrow's final three sessions? Clarke sees of Peterson but gives up a maiden to the spinner in the process. Australia 4-152.

1710: Clarke is denied another boundary thanks to a brilliant save from Dean Elgar at cover-point. It was probably good enough to call it his second genuine contribution of the match @Brenton of Queensland! The Aussie skipper picks up a single for the only runs of the over. Australia 4-152.

1706: Hussey and Clarke have little trouble negotiating another Robin Peterson over. The left-hander uses his feet nicely to get down the pitch and work the spinner wide of mid-on for three.

1704: Arpit of India says: thanx punter we love u. u r such a great player. we nerver forget u.for ur game ,ur captaincy,ur style........ every thing we r miss u so much..............

1702: FOUR! Morkel strays on leg stump and Clarke is awake to the opportunity as he picks up a boundary down to fine leg. FOUR! The Aussie skipper picks up back-to-back boundaries with an on-drive wide of the mid-on fieldsman to move to 25 at a run a ball. Has he got another century or, dare we say it, another double century in him? Australia 4-147.

1657: Spinner Robin Peterson is back into the attack. There's still no real spin out there, so he's relying on flight and perhaps a bit of variable bounce, which was the undoing of Ponting. Hussey picks up a single for the only runs of the over. Australia 4-138.

1652: Graeme Smith introduces Morne Morkel into the attack and the lanky quick immediately draws an edge from the bat of Michael Hussey's bat. It goes straight to ground but he'll no doubt be bouyed by the delivery. Morkel starts his spell with a maiden as Hussey plays the rest of the over out watchfully.

Parko of Queanbeyan has some thoughts on Ponting's replacement: Well, considering Crappock has had a VENDETTA against Hughes for a few years - much like his dislike of Johnson - I'm sure he's not pushing a case for the former opener. For example, on Nov. 13 Crappock writes "Cowan bolts the door shut on Hughes... Hughes hasn't made a Sheild century yet" -even though the day before he scored 92 and then next game makes 158! I still think Hughesy has something to offer and if we are going to pick bowlers on their Shield form (ie, Hastings) then he does deserve another go.

1648: Philander beats Clarke with back-to-back balls outside the off-stump. The Aussie captain just seems to be shuffling around the crease a bit at the moment, though it must be said Philander is bowling a fantastic line. FOUR! The Aussie skipper picks up a boundary from the final ball of the over to break the shackles. He's moved to 16 and Australia are now 4-136.

1644: SB says: Steyn stays around the wicket to another left-hander, Michael Hussey, testing the veteran Aussie out with a couple of early short balls. It's going to take something pretty special from these two if Australia are to get even halfway to the Proteas' target. I tend to agree with RMB from Brisbane and bemoan the shot selection of out openers. Should they hold their spots for Hobart? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment. Australia 4-132.

Brenton of Queensland takes a dig at dean Elgar: Congrats to Dean Elgar for finally contributing something in this game!

1637: OUCH! Clarke cops one flush on the crown jewels from Philander and immediately collapses on all fours. Aussie physio Alex Kountouris comes out to check on the skipper's well being and after a few deep breaths he returns to his feet and takes guard once again. Philander does his best to find the same region, but the Aussie skipper is up to the task this time and plays defensively back down the wicket.

RMB of Brisbane says: Batting has been beyond dumb in this match. Some atrocious shot selection from both openers. Ridiculous.

1632: FIFTY! Cowan brings up his half-century with a square-drive out to the point boundary. WICKET! Cowan brings his hard work undone as he falls for the Proteas sucker-punch and is caught pulling on the square-leg boundary from the bowling of Steyn. Cowan goes for 53 and the Aussies are now 4-137.

Rippersportspro of NSW says: Sam Bruce, you and Robert Craddock are both spot on. Both Khawaja and Doolan will be playing in the PM's match against Sri Lanka before the series starts. At the moment, I think Khawaja has the nod but Doolan is well and truly breathing down his neck. If the selectors go with Khawaja, I would have him at 4. If they go with Doolan, I would have him at 5. To say that the PM's game is crucial for both these candidates is an understatement. Either way, this should mean that hopefully Clarke moves up to 3 and Watson goes down to 6.

Barryhall says: Shame to see punter retire as long as we don't rue his departure in the Ashes

1626: Philander continues with his second over after lunch and Cowan moves to 48 as he picks off the speedster through mid-wicket. The opener retains the strike and moves to 49 as guides Philander down to fine-leg from the final ball of the over.

1622: Clarke picks up three runs through mid-wicket as he works Steyn off his pads. The Aussie captain has moved to 12 without any trouble and looks to be seeing the ball pretty well. Has he got another century or double century in him? Australia 3-123.

Parko of Queanbeyan says: Who cares what CRAPPOCK thinks - he is consistantly WRONG and is only "respected" within News Limited circles.

Sam Bruce says: Fair enough, Parko. Who are you throwing up as Ponting's replacement?

Tim of Brisbane says: Is COWAN the only aussie with his head screwed on? Chasing 600 against a quality bowling attack was almost impossible to begin with. Why treat a TEST as an ODI and play aggressive cricket when defending the good balls, ignoring the wide ones and punishing the bad ones would have been the only logical tactic??

1616: Vernon Philander takes the ball from the other end and strays down the leg side with his first delivery. Clarke doesn't miss the opportunity to get up and running after the break and picks up a single down to fine-leg. Philander follows Steyn's lead in coming around the wicket to Cowan, but the Aussie opener is once again solid in defence.

1614: Michael Clarke and Ed Cowan are back out in the middle and Dale Steyn takes the first over after the luncheon interval. The paceman decides to come around the wicket to Cowan and is immediately on the spot. FOUR! Cowan guides Steyn wide of gully and out to the backward-point boundary to bring up the first runs of the afternoon session. FOUR! Cowan hits back-to-back boundaries as he pulls Steyn through mid-wicket. He finishes the over with a solid forward defence. Australia 3-118.

1607: Parko of Queanbeyan says: Making 632 against the World's best attack on Day 4/5 of Test Match with Warner (44.35); Cowan (35.53); Watson (37.54); Ponting (52.21); Clarke (52.15); Hussey (50.98); Wade (34.42); Johnson (21.81) - and if they all make their averages it's 325 - THREE HUNDRED RUNS SHORT. Do your FORM and do your HOMEWORK all you DELUDED optimists because you ain't in the real world.

Leo Press of Newcastle says: Sad day for cricket, I have lost my hero!

Arjun of India says: Thank u punter for the memories . There is no cricket without u . Hope to see u soon as a fielding coach .

Rippersportspro of NSW says: Unlucky Punter, thanks for the many memories throughout a wonderful and unforgettable Test career. Now, I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing Cowan, Clarke and Hussey all replicate what they did in Brisbane. Some runs from Wade and the tail wagging would be very handy as well.

1546: Sam Bruce says: Well said, Rippersportspro. It's going to be weird to see an Australia Test line-up without Ricky Ponting's name on it come Hobart. Attention now turns to who'll replace him and News Limited journalist Robert Craddock is currently on The Cricket Show suggesting it's a race in two between Alex Doolan and Usman Khawaja. Who do you think will get the nod?

Daniel of Melbourne says: I'm really liking Cowan's attitude at the moment. He's hitting a lot of the good deliveries put in front of him and is playing with a straight bat. I think any chance of the win is riding on his shoulders right now. As much as I love Warner in the team I think he would be better suited down the order which sucks because our middle order is solid. If I had to pick a team for the next Test I think I would go Cowan, Hughes, Khawaja, Warner Clarke, Hussey, Wade, Siddle, Hilfenhaus, Starc and Lyon. Hilf has only played two average Tests in the whole season and I think he deserves more of a shot at it. Watson needs to figure out what is going on because at the moment he shouldn't be playing unless he can bowl at least 15 overs an innings. Obviously Bird and Cutting are stiff to miss out but they wouldn't be in the frame if Pattinson and Cummins were fit anyway. Bird and Cutting will get their chance eventually and it remains to be seen if they can do good at Test level. Hastings's stats are great in Shield and he doesn't appear to be up to it. Siddle is consistent and aggressive, no one can deny that and Hilf can bowl great into the wind. Siddle's average certainly doesn't do him justice.

1542: Brian Fisher of Brisbane says: Sad to see Ponting go but the introduction of Hughes is just what we need.

1541: Ashton of CBD says: Clarke needs to pull a Brian Lara and get 400 not out for Australia to have any hope of chasing these runs down.

1538: Glenn of Batemans Bay says: Oh wow!. Bye bye Ricky. With tears in my eyes.

1530: Four! Four! Michael Clarke wastes little time settling in, the Aussie captain hitting back-to-back boundaries off Peterson to move to eight. The umpires take the bails off and Australia go to lunch at 3-110. Join us again in 40 minutes for the second session of play on day four.

1528: PONTING OUT! Ricky Ponting's Test career is over! The former Aussie captain rocked on the back foot and got an edge straight to slip from the bowling of spinner Robin Peterson for just eight runs. Ponting leaves the ground to a thunderous applause and handshakes from the Proteas players. Australia 3-102!

1525: Ponting looks to have sorted himself outside the off stump today. He's leaving well and doesn't appear to be going as hard at the ball as he usually does early in his innings. Steyn is persisting with the line the Proteas know gives Ponting trouble, but he looks pretty comfortable. The Aussies have moved to 2-97 just before lunch.

1515: FOUR! Ponting hits his second boundary with a beautiful on-drive through the legs of Morne Morkel at mid-on. Things are looking good for the former Aussie captain early in his innings.

1514: Steyn is back into the attack. He's had Ponting's measure so far this series. Ponting looks to be concentrating harder than I've seen all series. He's not pushing as hard at the ball as he usually does.

1510: Sharon says  What a fantastic gesture of sportsmanship by the South Africans.  Shows the respect they have for Punter… Even if they want to get him out as quickly as possible

Ben Higgins says: You're dead right Sharon. A great gesture by the Proteas. There is a great respect between these two nations. Ricky Ponting's wicket will be the most valued today/ tomorrow ... hopefully not.

1508: Rippersportspro of NSW Come on Punter, hope you have 1 last solid knock left in you. Have to agree with Falcon, 3 century makers is the minimum that the Aussies need if they are to somehow win this match. Hopefully Clarke's single figure score was a one off and a case of law of averages working against him. Hussey for a hometown hundred whenever he bats (hopefully tomorrow).

Ben Higgins says: Probably going to need a big double-century maker as well Rippersportspro. I'd like to think Punter has that innings in him. He's famed for that fighting spirit and Australia can't get their back any closer to the wall. Don't forget Matthew Wade. He was the hero of the first innings and is more than capable of making a century.

1506: We're seeing a change of ball here. The umpires obviously think the ball has gone out of shape. The Aussies wouldn't be too happy about that.

1504: The Aussies are now 2/93. The run-rate has never been a problem but there's half an hour before lunch and Michael Clarke would be praying he isn't required in the middle for a long time to come.

1501: FOUR! Ponting with a classic pull off Morkel. That was vintage Ponting. He's looked solid so far and what a geat way to get off the mark.

1452: Morkel around the wicket to Cowan now. The two Tasmanians are at the crease. That hasn't happened to often. The big South African is trying to shake Cowan up ... it worked against Watson.

1448: SIX! Amazing shot. Ed Cowan launches a slog sweep over the cover boundary. Well that is certainly one way to up the scoring rate and push the South Africans back.

1447: Ponting strides to the pitch. A huge ovation as the former captain walks into the middle for the last time in his 168th Test and the South Africans stand in a guard of honour. What a fantastic gesture.

1445: WICKET!! Watson 25 (c Smith b Morkel; AUS 2/81) Watson gets squared up and Smith takes a nice catch, low and to his right. Morkel gets the breakthrough.

1444: A shout! AB de Villiers asks the question after Watson tries to glance the ball off his hip. The South Africans decide not to review it and replays suggest they made the right decision. The ball was no where near the bat.

1440: Watson has gone past Cowan now. A couple of classy boundaries has taken Watson to 25 while Cowan is on 24. Both the batsman seem to have got their eye in now.

1436: FOUR RUNS: Shane Watson drives back past Morkel for four runs. A lovely stroke as Watson looks to get his feet moving . As shown on Sunday the batsman can get on top after the new ball loses its tricks.

1430: DRINKS. Australia have survived the first hour with the loss of only one wicket. David Warner went on the second ball of the day to a cracker from Philander. However, Watson and Cowan have steadied the ship and put on 33 runs. Australia are now 1/73.

1428: BOUNDARY! Watson creams a full toss from Peterson for four runs. Watson is starting to open up a bit now.

1427: Ball to the groin.  Ouch that hurt! Cowan cops an inside edge into his corridor of uncertainty. Couple of deep breathes Ed, you'll be right.

1424: FOUR! Watson belts a wide short ball from Morkel to the boundary. He follows it up with a clip off the legs that rotates the strike nicely. That's what the Aussies are going to need today. Changing it up and keeping the scoreboard ticking over. The South Africans will try to strangle us and build pressure by drying up the runs.

1422: Morne Morkel into the attack. Ok. I might have gone a bit early hoping Morkel was out of the attack. He has been the most dangerous Proteas paceman in this series.

1420: Robin Peterson is on. South Africa turn to spin far earlier than I though they might. Does this mean Morne Morkel is out of action for today. Let's hope so. Cowan is now on 22 and Watson is taking his time, he's still on nine.

1415: FOUR RUNS! Cowan knocks a classy drive down the ground to the boundary line. Steyn pitched it up looking for some swing but Cowan pounced. The Aussies will need to jump on any loose balls today. The score moves along to 1/62.

1410: Brayden Yates asks How many runs would Australia need to get without the test being declared a failure? Considering we lost that is, and also why do you think we could not kill off SA in the first 2 tests, we could be world No.1 by now.

Ben Higgins says: I think it is more a matter of time rather than runs. If Australia can survive today I think it would be an achievement and if they can do that then the runs shoud follow. Any home series loss should be declared a failure. There is no such thing as an honourable loss.
Why we couldn't kill off South Africa. In Brisbane a day and a half was lost to run so that's fair enough. In Adelaide we just ran into a bloke who would not be moved. Faf du Plessis was incredible and Australia is going to need a similar performance here. Also losing James Pattinson didn't help.

1405: Ashton of CBD: This innings is do or die for Watson. He must make this the day he finally converts to another test 100 to retain his spot at number 3.

Ben Higgins says: I reckon you're spot on Ashton. Watson still hasn't cemented himself in the top order - as much as the Australian hierarchy would love him to. I think with the inclusion of Khawaja, Hughes or Quiney it should allow Watto to move down the order a bit.

1402: Amla is in to a bat pad as the South Africans think Ed Cowan might be nervous off his pads. Graeme Smith is certainly going after the Aussies early on day four.

1359: Geoff from Sydney: Hi Ben, I am at a loss to understand the criticism of Starc's performance yesterday, he Bowled 26% of all the Overs Bowled, went for 27% of the Runs, and took 60% of the Wickets. How does that make him part of a "second string, pop gun attack" as labelled by some Writers ? If anybody let the side down it was watson who only Bowled 9 Overs all day, (so much for his fitness) and Lyon who didn't take Wickets and didn't contain.

Ben Higgins says: You're not wrong Geoff, Starc was 12th man in the first two Tests so is hardly second string. He's a wicket-taker, if he gives up some runs I don't think Michael Clarke would mind too much. I don't think anybody knows why Watson didn't bowl except for Watson and Clarke. It certainly is a puzzle. Lastly, I think its a bit harsh on Lyon. He was very good in the first innings and we know Perth isn't kind to spinners on a whole. He is the best spinner in Australia and deserves to start every Test.

1348: FOUR RUNS: Glorious straight drive by Watson off Steyn. That shows you the pitch is batter friendly. Hopefully provides Watto with a bit of confidence and Australia moves to 1/49.

1345: Ashton of CBD: This innings is do or die for Watson. He must make this the day he finally converts to another test 100 to retain his spot at number 3.

Ben Higgins says: Got to say I agree with you there Ashton. Watson hasn't cemented himself at the top of the line-up as much as the selectors would love him to. The inclusion to Khawaja or Hughes would allow him to move down the order.

1344: A maiden for Philander as Cowan looks comfortable in behind the ball. He is going to be a key today and could be the man to hold the innings together and allows the likes of Watson and Clarke to attack.

1339: A shout from the South Africans. It was turned down as Shane Watson's breaths a sigh of relief. Replays show it might have been out. Steyn is certainly getting the ball to talk at this early stage. Cowan is on 13 and Watson has made one.

1335: Well, I was going to say good afternoon and welcome to the coverage but that's been thrown out the window already. It's Ben Higgins here with you to start the day. Warner's gone and Watson survives a close call on his first ball. Should be an interesting day ahead. Stay tuned!

1331: WICKET! Warner (29 c Smith b Philander; Aus 1/40) Australia get off to a shocking start as Warner is on his way second ball. Great ball from Vernon Philander. Got one to jag away and take the edge through to Smith at first slip. Wow!

1320: Hello and welcome to day four of foxsports.com.au's LIVE and INTERACTIVE coverage of the third Test between Australia and South Africa. The weather is looking good at the WACA and we're almost ready for the start of the day's play. Australia's batsman will be desperate to survive but they must also keep the scoreboard ticking over if they hope to chase down the massive 632 runs needed for victory. Stick with us throughout the day and don't forget to send in your questions and comments by emailing blogs@foxsports.com.au or leaving a comment at the bottom of the page.


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