Aussies Pound India at the Gabba, Brisbane

Australia have rocketed to the top of the tri-series standings as Ben Hilfenhaus continued to torment India in his return to one-day cricket.

Replacing an ill Clint McKay for his first ODI in more than two years, Hilfenhaus took a career-best 5-33 as the home side pounded the tourists by 110 runs on Sunday night.

But both sides face growing worries about modern-day greats Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar who were both made to look second-rate with ugly failures at the Gabba.

A tired Ponting’s immediate one-day future is on shaky ground after he looked all at sea making just seven – his fifth straight single-figure failure – as Australia posted 5-288.

But the stand-in skipper, due for a rest with Michael Clarke expected to return from injury this week, still managed to marshall his troops to a convincing victory by routing India for 178.

The tourists had no answers to the pace and swing of new-ball duo Hilfenhaus and Brett Lee (3-49) who ripped through their top-order to effectively kill off the contest at 4-36.

Skipper MS Dhoni delayed the inevitable with a patient 56 but once he holed out to Hilfenhaus, in the 38th over, a bonus point was in the bag for Australia.

Australia’s dominant win takes them to the top of the table on 13 points – three ahead of India (10), who will meet Sri Lanka (7) on Tuesday.

While Australia’s selectors have a dilemma in how to handle Ponting’s twilight years, especially with the next World Cup three years away, India appear to have just as big a problem in managing Tendulkar.

The Little Master, searching for his hundredth international century for the past 11 months, was made to look like a rookie as he upper cut Hilfenhaus straight to Xavier Doherty at third man to fall for three.

While Ponting has just 18 runs in the tri-series at an embarrassing average of 3.6, Tendulkar has 68 runs at 17 and hasn’t looked like challenging for his milestone century.

Like Tendulkar, who lasted 12 balls, Ponting struggled to find the middle of his bat and the gaps in the field in a painful 26-ball stay after David Warner propelled the home side to 1-70 with a breezy 43.

Australia’s momentum halted with his innings and only an impressive century stand by Mike Hussey (59 off 52) and adopted Queenslander Peter Forrest (52 off 71) put the home side on track on a good batting wicket.

Late lusty hitting by Dan Christian (30no off 18) and David Hussey (26no off 20) then ensured India would face a tough chase as they blasted 65 off the last six overs.

India shot themselves in the foot in the field with four dropped catches, including two off Mike Hussey, and two muffed run outs.

The comedy of errors wasn’t restricted to the players though with the match officials involved in farcical scenes after third umpire Bruce Oxenford unwittingly giving Hussey out on one.

Oxenford blamed a technical malfunction as he attempted to give the not out call to a stumping review but “OUT” flashed on the big screen before the batsman trudged off, only to be recalled by the on-field umpires.

Aussies Pound India at the Gabba, Brisbane

Perth Cricket Fans Urged to Dress Up for Chance to Win Carribean Trip

IT'S the only statistic missing from Mike Hussey's impressive cricket resume – and it doesn't bother him one bit.

The veteran Australian batsman is yet to post a one-day century at his beloved WACA Ground and Friday’s match against Sri Lanka could be his last chance to reach triple figures in front of his hometown fans.

Hussey, 36, is no certainty to play on next summer and will be keen to leave a lasting impression on the ground where he made his international debut in 2004 should it be his last major match in Perth.

A century similar to the one former WA teammate Adam Gilchrist scored in his final international appearance at the venue would be a dream come true for Hussey, but the crowd favourite won’t be losing any sleep if he doesn’t.

“Generally the position and time I come into bat makes it difficult to score a hundred, so for me to have to get a hundred generally means we’re in a bit of trouble and that’s not something I want,” said Hussey, who averages an impressive 76.25 from eight ODIs in Perth, including a highest score of 78.

“To come in with four of five overs to go and try and hit every ball for six would be definitely more the recipe for me.”

Hussey encouraged Perth fans to dress up during for the Friday’s game for a chance to win a trip to the Caribbean next month when Australia tours the West Indies.

“Hopefully the entertainment on the field is going to be very good, but you also get a bit of entertainment off the field as well,” he said.

“Seeing some of the different costumes and get-ups that people get into can make for a pretty humorous afternoon at the cricket.”

Cricket Australia is also offering a number of prizes on the day for the best-dressed fans.

Visit apps.facebook.com/best-dressed-comp for more details.

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Cricket NSW Hopes a Huge Crowd at ANZ Stadium Will Help in Bid to Host World Cup Final Ahead of MCG

The record-breaking Twenty20 match between Australia and India at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday night is the first shot in a stadium war to steal the 2015 World Cup final from the MCG. 

While matches are yet to be allocated and the SCG is making a strong push to claim the tournament's biggest match thanks to a redevelopment, the MCG is considered the unbackable favourite because of its enormous capacity.

However, Cricket NSW chief executive Dave Gilbert believes Sydney's former Olympic venue can be the game breaker.

"If we can get 60,000-plus on Wednesday night to show Cricket Australia we can get crowds like that for the World Cup, ANZ might position itself for World Cup matches as well as T20s," Gilbert said.
"The MCG up to now has had pretty much carte blanche to get those big events because of capacity.
"We believe that ANZ filled with 80,000 people, the actual ticket yield could be better than the MCG at 90,000.

"By getting this (Twenty20) match under way it shows there is another player in the market."
While the SCG is the spiritual home of cricket in NSW and likely to be the best stadium in the country following its imminent Bradman Stand redevelopment, the capacity of 50,000 may not be enough to secure a World Cup final.

The record crowd to watch a day's cricket in NSW is a touch more than 58,000 at the SCG during an Ashes tour in 1928.

However, Gilbert expects that record to go as ANZ Stadium continues its push as a Twenty20 venue.
The NSW government has paid Cricket Australia $1.4 million to guarantee T20 internationals at ANZ Stadium over the next four years and Gilbert believes this is the perfect vehicle to push for World Cup recognition.

The 2015 event will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

With India and the subcontinent demanding to regularly host cricket's pinnacle event, the four-year World Cup, this will be only the second time the ANZAC countries have been able to obtain it.
The first was in 1992, when Australia failed to make the finals.

The sold-out semi-finals were held at the SCG and Auckland's Eden Park, while the final at the MCG between England and eventual winners Pakistan attracted more than 87,000 fans.

Gilbert claimed that ANZ Stadium was capable of hosting World Cup matches despite its short boundaries.
"While people have made a lot of issues about the straight boundary size, if you're hitting straight it's a 70m hit. That's not insignificant," he said.

"But it's the same for both teams and both teams have the opportunity to maximise it."
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KFC T20 International Cricket - Australia vs India Sydney Sports Events

Sydney Olympic Park will host its first ever international cricket match, when Australia take on India in a history making KFC T20 international match that promises to be a memorable night of entertainment. Make sure you get your tickets to be a part of the action.

Get to Sydney Olympic Park early to cheer on the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars as they take on New Zealand in a Women's T20 International, starting at 2.05pm.

Ticket	Price
Adult	A$110.00 (Platinum ticket. Non-alcohol areas available.)
Adult	A$30.00 (Bronze ticket. Family/child/pensioners Bronze tickets also available.)
Adult	A$55.00 (Silver ticket. Family/child/pensioners Silver tickets also available. Non-alcohol areas available.)
Family	A$67.50 (Milo Family Zone. Family = 2 adults and 2 child or 1 adult and 3 child. Adult/pensioner/child tickets also available.)
Adult	A$80.00 (Gold ticket. Family/child/pensioners Gold tickets also available.)

Test Selectors Set to Go with Spinner for Perth, Meaning Paceman Mitchell Starc is Set to Miss Out

CURATOR Cam Sutherland will need to lose his lawnmower for Michael Starc to play as the fourth fast bowler in Perth.

The tall and talented NSW left armer bowled some unplayable deliveries on the way to claiming three cheap wickets during a man of the match performance for the Sydney Sixers against the Sydney Thunder in Sunday night’s rain-marred Big Bash derby at ANZ Stadium.

And the WACA Ground pitch is currently as green as St Patrick’s Day.

But Sydney Sixers chief executive Stuart Clark is one who believes it would be a mistake to include his young and unpredictable paceman for the third Test against India, beginning on Friday.

Clark was part of a four-man pace attack when Australia last played India in Perth four years ago, and lost there to India for the first time.

Shaun Tait was the extra fast bowler, who failed to take wicket in either innings and then broke down with physical and mental exhaustion.

“I always felt that with four quicks there was an extra bowler for no apparent reason,” Clark told Summer of Cricket yesterday.

“I don’t think the attack is balanced without a spinner or another option.

“I’m sure if the wicket is that green there may be the option not to play a spinner but that’s few and far between.

“Without a spinner you’ve got over rate issues.

“And with the breeze over there (in Perth), if you can find an off-spinner who can curve the ball, which Lyon can do really well, that would always be my go.”

There is the counter argument that Australia thrashed England in Perth last summer for their only Test victory during a miserable Ashes series by playing four quicks for just the third time in 20 years. The other two were against India.

The returning Ryan Harris and injured Mitchell Johnson claimed nine wickets each while Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus claimed just one apiece.

And with the breeze blowing from the east, instead of the prevailing Fremantle Doctor from the south west, Johnson, a left-armer like Starc, rediscovered the inswinger for one of the few times in his career.

While captain Michael Clarke and coach Mickey Arthur are hedging their bets to see how the wicket will look closer to Test, it will take a huge change in philosophy or little change in the pitch for Starc to make the final XI.

Both men have made it clear in recent days that they prefer to take a spinner into every Test.

“I'm hoping that wicket is similar to what we played on against England last summer where it's got a lot of pace and bounce and some sideways movement,” Clarke said after Australia thumped India by an innings at the SCG to take a 2-0 lead in the four-Test series.

“If that's the case there's an option there (to play four fast bowlers) but I always love having a spinner in our team and I continue to say I think Nathan Lyon is doing a terrific job for this team.”

A day later Arthur reinforced his captain’s view.

“I don't like going into a Test match without a spinner because I think a spinner changes tempo, it just gives you variation,” Arthur said.

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Clarke 329 is Highest Test Mark in Sydney

SYDNEY: After erasing some of Donald Bradman's marks with an unbeaten triple century, Michael Clarke didn't risk upsetting anyone by going on to surpass the great man's highest score.

So he declared Australia's innings at 659-4 when he was 329 not out - five short of the revered Bradman's mark of 334 - at the drinks break in the middle session on Thursday, exactly halfway through the second Test against India.

Australians had a commanding 468-run first innings lead, but on a flat wicket where the bowlers were struggling, Clarke could have easily justified batting on, and breaking a slew of batting records including Brian Lara's mark of 400 for the highest score.

He had already beaten Bradman's record for highest score on home soil by an Australian captain (270), then he'd added the highest score ever at the historic Sydney Cricket Ground, followed by the first triple century at the ground and then just about doubled his own previous highest score of 168.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked that I've managed to make 300-odd runs today but the most important thing for me now is that we win this ," Clarke said, deflecting the attention from the timing of his declaration.

"It's about putting the team first. What I love most about this game, is seeing this team win," he said. "I've been like that as a player and I'll be no different as a captain.

"If it was best for the team to continue batting then I would have continued to bat."

His innings was not even within 50 of an Australian record - Matt Hayden scored a then-world record 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003 - but it was a sign of respect for a more recognized and enduring mark: the 334 scored by Bradman, and equalled but deliberately not surpassed by Mark Taylor.

Clarke's epic innings will go a long way to tipping public support his way, having often struggled to win over a demanding nation of fans who consider the national cricket captaincy second only to the prime minister in terms of importance.

Clarke's talent had never been in doubt since he burst onto the scene in 2004, more than 18 months after establishing himself in the limited-overs squad, by scoring 151 on debut against India at Bangalore.

That innings reflected the precocious talent of the brash youngster from Sydney's western suburbs, who had earned the nickname 'Pup' due to his youthful prowess in provincial cricket and was long considered as a flamboyant run-maker rather than a captain in waiting.

The public's reticence toward Clarke has largely been based on style rather than substance, with fans hesitant to embrace a man who takes a very different approach to the trademark no-frills manner of iconic recent captains like Allan Border and Steve Waugh.

He models underwear, has a collection of tattoos, and is highly conscious of his image - not exactly traits Australian cricket fans would ascribe to favourite sons like Dennis Lillee or David Boon.

His locker room spat with former opener Simon Katich for wanting to leave to spend time with his girlfriend rather than keep celebrating a victory in Sydney has become the stuff of legend and polarized opinion.

Clarke's struggle for fans' acceptance was illustrated last Australian summer when he was booed by a crowd when he walked out to bat in a one-dayer in the wake of Ashes series defeat, when the national team at its nadir after a decade at the top of the game.

But Clarke's four centuries in nine Tests since officially replacing Ricky Ponting as captain have hushed some critics who didn't think he was leadership material.

"It's about respect, it's about continuing to earn the public's respect. That's all I've ever wanted," Clarke said after his 18th and, by far his biggest, hundred. "If people are going to dislike me that's life, that's the way it is. But the most important thing for me, especially being the Australian captain now, you want your home fans to respect you."

His latest innings had a precarious start, with Australia at 37-3 after removing India for 191 on the opening day of the 100th at the SCG. But after sharing back-to-back partnerships of 288 with Ponting (134) and 334 with Mike Hussey (150 not out), he increased his batting average as Australian captain above 59.

Clarke's campaign to bat his way into public affection is progressing well, if judged by the prolonged and raucous standing ovation he received Thursday when he clipped off his pads through mid-wicket for a boundary to bring up his 300.

It came in the wake of a tumultuous initial stint as captain, which included a horrendous loss in Cape Town when Australia was bowled out for 47 followed by a courageous win over the South Africans in Johannesburg.

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Clarke 329 is Highest Test Mark in Sydney

Despite MCG loss, Indians get set to hit back at Sydney

The Indian camp has digested a hat-trick of Boxing Day Test losses to Australia. Sure, they refused to look at newspapers yesterday, diligently answered phone calls. But, they did not disappoint the fans who gathered outside the Lingham Hotel here on Thursday evening, signing autographs and obliging to picture requests. They appeared in happy spirits. "It's just a process of acclimatisation, we'll be back," selector Mohinder Amarnath says in a passing remark to MiD DAY.

Amarnath's remark should be taken seriously. India are slow starters. They would have lost the first Test at Sabina Park earlier this year if it wasn't for Darren Sammy dropping Rahul Dravid on the third day. Before that, India last won the first Test of an away tour at The Bull Ring in 2006-07. A poor start was estimated. But, when you consider that Bet Fair and Ladbrokes favoured an Indian win on Thursday morning, and the local media had lost hope in their side after Cardiff 2009, Mohali 2010-11, Cape Town 2011-12 and Hobart 2011-12, the loss is all the more significant, hard to fathom.

Fifth in a row

The Indians know that it's their fifth consecutive defeat abroad. They are aware that the batting line-up has flopped again, managing a 300-plus total only once in their last 16 outings abroad. They also know that the ageing batting line-up can't be banished, because it's the younger lot, the Kohlis, the Gambhirs that are failing to deliver.

Keep in mind, the star quartet of Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar has 9,152 Border-Gavaskar Trophy runs against Australia. What would do if you're MS Dhoni or Duncan Fletcher? Are the Rahanes and Sharmas going swoop in to fix this? No. This is India's best possible XI. Kohli hit two fifties in his last Test. Can you look past his splendid last-day knock at Wankhede Stadium against West Indies last month?

An opportunity

The local media here has capitalised on a wonderful opportunity to remind India of their persisting batting woes. "MS Dhoni has conceded India's great weapon (batting) is now its weakness -- a cast of batting flops who must prove they are not flat track bullies," The Daily Telegraph wrote.

"Most of the smart money in Mohali, Mumbai and Melbourne was on India quickly sweeping aside the last of the Australian resistance and then unleashing the demi-gods of their batting line-up," The Australian wrote, referring to the last-wicket stand of James Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus that made a difference to India's eventual target of 292.

"The boys don't want to read papers. They have been in such situations before. We are drawing lot of positives from the first Test," manager Shivlal Yadav tells MiD DAY. The 'flat-track bullies' have a reputation to protect. Otherwise the accolades garnered over the years will reach a watershed, respect will be lost.

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