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In a frank admission, Abdul Razzaq has spoken of his slow descent as an allrounder and the effect different captains have had on his career. found him in a candid mood – and perhaps without the team manager, whose brief was to filter players’ statements before they were released.”I think Moin and Wasim were the best captains for me,” said Razzaq. “When I started, Wasim was my skipper and he utilised me well and it was the same with Moin. They knew my potential and backed me well.”I know I have not been up to the mark in recent times. But I am trying to lift my game so that I get back onto the top rung of allrounders again.” In past years, observers noticed that while his batting had flourished and he became more aggressive in the final overs of one-dayers, his bowling form dipped significantly. However, his bowling stock began to rise towards the end of the VB Series in Australia, when he cut and swung the ball both ways.”Now I bat way down the order and they tell me that you cannot bat the full 50 overs. You’ll only get to bat in the last 10. That, in a way, has helped me develop my big hitting.”

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Federal Areas had an impressive first day against top-placed Sind in Islamabad, bundling them out for 222 and then scoring 119 for the loss of three wickets.With his 5 for 58, Sohail Tanvir ensured Federal Areas made good first use of the pitch. Sind lost wickets at regular intervals, Tanvir removed two of the top four, while Yasir Arafat and Shehzad Azam took one apiece. A 71-ball 53 from Naumanullah held up one end for a while, but the knock of the innings came from Shahid Afridi, the Sind captain.Coming in at No. 6, Afridi blasted 70 off 49 balls, with eight fours and three sixes. At 194 for 5, Sind were in with a chance to reach 300, but Saeed Ajmal and Tanvir triggered a collapse. Ajmal got rid of the dangerous Afridi, out caught-and-bowled, while Tanvir scalped Sarfraz Ahmed, Danish Kaneria and Sohail Khan. Ajmal, an offbreak bowler, took another wicket as well, but figures of 2 for 64 off six overs indicate he suffered the most during Afridi’s onslaught.Federal Areas made a strong reply with an 82-run opening stand, before Afridi removed Umair Khan for 19. Umair’s partner Raheel Majeed did the bulk of the scoring, with 72 off 93 balls. Sohail Khan, who scythed the Baluchistan top order in the previous game, picked up two wickets before stumps to reduce Federal Areas from 114 for 1 to 119 for 3.ScorecardAfter being shot out for 42 against Sind last week, Baluchistan’s batsmen did better against Punjab, managing 298 for 7 on the first day at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot.However, Baluchistan frittered away the advantage, they were at 208 for 2 at one stage, but lost five wickets for 90 runs as Punjab fought back. A 121-run second-wicket stand between Yasir Arafat and Rameez Alam laid the platform for Baluchistan. Arafat made 62, while Alam scored 84 before he was bowled by Mohammad Hafeez.Saeed Bin Nasir chipped in with 46, and wicketkeeper Gulraiz Sadaf ended the day unbeaten on 36. For Punjab, opening bowler Wahab Riaz was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 53.

Pakistan A 239 for 3 (Faisal 102*, Aamer 65*) beat England A 125 by 114 runs
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Points tableEngland A’s winter ended with a whimper, as they crashed out of the triangular tournament after a crushing 114-run defeat to Pakistan A at Moratuwa. While Ian Bell’s side head home, Sri Lanka A will now face Pakistan A in the final on Tuesday, but they will face a stern test: Pakistan have won all four of their group matches.Faisal Athar and Aamer Bashir set up Pakistan’s latest triumph, their unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 168 lifting their side to 239 for 3 after a stodgy start from the top order, who were limping along at little more three an over. But Faisal and Aamer floored the accelerator when the dismissal of Ashar Zaidi – who made a painstaking yet painful 17 from 69 balls – brought them together in the 21st over. Faisal struck an unbeaten 102 from 133 balls and Aamer joined in the fun, bashing 65 not out from 79 balls.England’s batsman struggled from the outset and the writing was firmly on the wall at 25 for 4, the opening pace attack of Mohammad Asif and Abdur Rauf taking two wickets each. Imran Tahir then helped himself to the next three wickets to kill off England’s slim hopes (71 for 7).Richard Dawson and Paul Franks gestured at revival, putting on 38 for the eighth wicket, but it was far too little, far too late and England slumped to 125 all out.

On the verge of an embarassing three-day defeat, Western Province Boland’s lower order came to the rescue and put up enough runs to take a minor lead, though a heavy loss still looked likely on the fourth day.The Titans enforced the follow-on after dismissing WPBOL for 233, where Con de Lange top-scored with 87 and Alfonso Thomas mopped up the tail. Following on, WPBOL started terribly. They were soon 106 for 6 before Thami Tsolekile (77 not out) and Rory Kleinveldt (92) put on 148. Kleinveldt had bettered his high score by a long way; his previous best was 27. Quentin Friend, coming in at number nine, also passed his previous best to end the day on 42 not out. The tail had put on 219 between them and allowed WPBOL a lead of 34 going into the final day.A tough match lead to what could be a riveting final day in Blomfontein. The Lions, set a target of 291, eased themselves to 142 for 1 with Adam Bacher on 63 and Justin Ontong on 58.The Eagles had extended their overnight lead to 185 when Boeta Dippenaar was the first to go on 71. Nicky Boje was then dismissed for 51, and Free State ended on 330. The Lions then lost Steven Cook (17) early before Bacher and Ontong took control, putting their team on the road to victory. The pitch had had lost its venom and allowed Free State back into the game.The Dolphins could only add 22 runs to their overnight total of 201 for 7 as Mornantau Hayward cleaned up the tail. With a deficit of 126, the Dolphins fought back strongly, as the pace attack of Johann Louw (3 wickets), Lance Klusener (3 wickets) and Andrew Tweedie (4 wickets) demolished the Warriors. A 54 from Mark Boucher and 46 from Robin Peterson hauled the Warriors out of serious trouble. They were eventually bowled out for 165, setting the Dolphins a target of 292 runs. At close the Dolphins had moved to 28 for 1.

Adam Gilchrist is confident of reversing a worrying batting slump as Australia eye-ball South Africa in the third and final Test at the SCG. While Gilchrist’s wicketkeeping has been so good Ian Healy recently rated it the best of his career, his run-scoring has been dramatically reduced and he has passed double figures only twice in his past five Tests.”You go through three or four low scores and you say, ‘Oh, nothing’s wrong. It’s no big deal’,” he said in . “But it’s continued on and it’s definitely been the longest run of low scores I’ve had to endure in my international career. I desperately want runs but I don’t feel pressure from anything external.”Gilchrist said his biggest frustration was finishing a game and knowing he had not contributed with the bat. “That’s new for me,” he said.Focusing on wicketkeeping has helped Gilchrist through the slump. “I’ve always said that is my No. 1 job, and I stand by that,” he said. “I have that belief [runs] will come eventually. Through my career if I have been batting well I have kept well. This is a nice scenario for me because the runs aren’t coming but I feel like I’m managing the other side of things pretty well.”

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Joginder Sharma celebrated his inclusion in the Indian one-day squad with a burst that decimated the Vidarbha batting line-up at Nagpur. Joginder’s 8 for 24, his best figures in first-class cricket, skittled Vidarbha out for just 57 with only one batsman, Amit Deshpande, managing to reach double figures. Haryana were 208 for 8 in their second innings and all but assured of a massive victory.
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Kerala suffered a humiliating innings-and-29-run defeat after being bowled out for 114 in their second innings at Palghat. Having collapsed for 117 on the first day, Kerala conceded a 143-run lead as all the Saurashtra batsmen chipped in with valuable contributions. S Jobanputra’s breezy 44 was one of the highlights before he accounted for both the Kerala openers with the ball. His partner with the new ball, S Maniar, finished with 4 for 33 as Kerala were shot out in 41.5 overs.
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Orissa fought back through their medium pacers and trailed by just 74, with eight wickets in hand, at the end of the second day at Jamshedpur. Debasis Mohanty, Deepak Mangaraj and Pinninti Jayachandra snapped up all the wickets between them as Jharkhand lost their last eight wickets for a mere 100 runs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni added only 15 more to his overnight 113 and Jharkhand’s lead was kept down to 158. Orissa reduced the deficit to 74 by stumps with Shiv Sundar Das still unbeaten on 27.
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Maninder Bisla and Sangram Singh cracked hundreds as Himachal Pradesh tightened their stranglehold against Jammu & Kashmir at Dharmasala. Their 125-run partnership built a solid foundation before Bisla and Ajay Mannu, who made 74, stretched the lead. Abid Nabi, the J&K opening bowler, mopped up the tail and finished with 6 for 91 but Himachal managed a comfortable 270-run lead. J&K were 58 for 1 in response and staring at a heavy defeat.
ScorecardAvinash Aware and Sher Yadav got Goa back into the contest as they restricted Rajasthan to 227 in their first innings at Jaipur. Rajasthan were in a comfortable position at 162 for 3 before being pegged back by Aware’s medium pace and Yadav’s left-arm spin. Rajasthan managed to take the lead thanks to Rahul Kanwat’s unbeaten 46. Goa were 74 for 1 in reply when stumps were drawn.
ScorecardArun Sharma’s six-wicket haul restricted Tripura to 237 before the Services batsmen seized the initiative on the second day at Agartala. Ramaswamy Prasanna, an import from Tamil Nadu, completed his debut hundred but Sharma, the left-arm spinner, cleaned up the tail to give Services the edge. The three Singhs then made vital contributions with the bat – Narender and Jasvir reached fifties while Yashpal was unbeaten on a patient 40.

A batting masterclass from Sachin Tendulkar gave India the initiative in Lahore, and a 2-1 series lead. Having chased with such aplomb in the last two games, confidence clearly isn’t a problem in the Indian camp. Pakistan, bereft of Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi, suddenly look vulnerable, but even a cursory look at the nation’s cricket history will tell you that it’s at such moments that they have dug deep and come up with some of their best cricket. India, at the receiving end after leading the corresponding series 2-0 last year, certainly won’t allow any trace of complacency to creep in. After the humiliation in the Test series, victory here would offer something by way of compensation.Better bowling?:
Pakistan’s superior bowling resources, ultimately decisive in the Test series, were expected to tilt the scales in their favour in the one-day games as well. But with Shoaib Akhtar not around to lead the line, India have piled on the runs at an astonishing rate of 6.29 over the first three games. With the exception of Mohammad Asif, who appears to get better with every outing, the rest have been caned by Indian batsmen ruthless against any waywardness in line and length. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, hugely impressive in Pakistan’s 4-2 triumph on Indian soil last year, was pulverised in the last game, while Umar Gul is only finding his way back from a long-term injury. Abdul Razzaq continues to snag Tendulkar, without ever looking likely to run through a side. With no Danish Kaneria in the squad, the slow-bowling options are also distinctly mediocre. India’s attack has fared little better, with the notable exception of Irfan Pathan, but the expected Pakistani superiority has yet to manifest itself.All change:
Two consecutive losses have forced the selectors’ hands, and Pakistan could see as many as four changes for tomorrow’s game. Salman Butt’s last two innings have lasted four balls, and Imran Farhat is likely to take his place. Faisal Iqbal has the onerous task of replacing Afridi, while Umar Gul’s back injury has resulted in a call-up for Rao Iftikhar Anjum. Mohammad Sami, in the cold since the Lahore Test, is another certainty provided he recovers from fever, with Rana likely to feel the cold shoulder. India have few such worries, with Ajit Agarkar having recovered from his back strain.Pitch perfect:
The last time India played here, Virender Sehwag thumped 228 on the opening day of a Test to inspire an innings victory in a Test match. Sehwag may be back in Delhi, resting his shoulder before taking on England, but another run-fest is on the cards. The pitch is the colour of caramel cream, and the smattering of dry grass on top won’t worry anyone. With the weather also perfect, sunny without being too warm, a batsman that gets set won’t be in the mood to leave in a hurry. In such conditions, the toss is unlikely to have much bearing either.Absent Afridi:
While he didn’t fire in the first three games, Afridi clearly preys on the Indian psyche. His 330 runs from just 272 balls in the Test series pretty much ensured that. His loss for the final two games is a massive blow, even if Pakistan can call on Abdul Razzaq and the relatively untested Iqbal for late-innings acceleration.The Malik factor:
Starting with his stunning innings against India in the Asia Cup of 2004, Shoaib Malik has pillaged the attack remorselessly. And while the bigger names like Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan have yet to make an impact on the series, Malik already has 293 runs stashed away. He made the most of the reprieve that Gautam Gambhir granted him at Lahore, and India simply can’t afford such generosity towards a man who truly has the Indian sign on their bowlers.

Hometown hero:
The impressive Inzamam-ul-Haq enclosure dominated one sides of this superb venue, and much is expected from one of Multan’s favourite sons. His captaincy in the last game was bizarre at times, with a clearly crocked Afridi asked to bowl at a crucial stage, and Rana, who served up tosh all day, entrusted with two vital overs at the end. There have also been three successive failures with the bat, including the Obstructing the Field dismissal at Peshawar. The Indians know better than most though that when he’s good, he’s nearly peerless. That perfectly executed chase at Ahmedabad last year certainly won’t be forgotten anytime soon.Last but not least:
Such was the resplendence of his batting at the Gaddafi Stadium that it was easy to forget the pressure that Tendulkar had been under before the one-day series. The century at Peshawar was special in its own way, but it was the 95 at Lahore that showcased everything that’s best about his batting – the ability to gauge a situation, judgement of length and a range of strokes that most can only dream of. It remains to be seen now whether he can go on and magnify the purple patch, rediscovering the mind-boggling consistency that has eluded him for two seasons.Teams:
Pakistan (likely): 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 ShoaibMalik, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Younis Khan, 7 FaisalIqbal, 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Yasir Arafat, 10 Mohammad Sami, 11 Mohammad Asif.Super sub: Rao Iftikhar Anjum.India (likely): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 IrfanPathan, 4 Rahul Dravid, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Mohammad Kaif, 7 Mahendra SinghDhoni, 8 Suresh Raina, 9 Ajit Agarkar, 10 S Sreesanth, 11 Rudra PratapSingh. Super sub: Ramesh Powar.

7
Kevin Pietersen
The only Englishman with the desire to compete as an equal to the Aussies and in the end, even he was ground down by the futility of his resistance. Spent too long loitering at No. 5 in the order, however, which invariably meant that the fate of the innings had been determined before he got to the crease. His hubristic dismissal at Adelaide was his only real embarrassment, however. He could hardly be blamed for being fed up by the end of it all.6
Paul Collingwood
If Adelaide was heartbreaking for England as a team, then spare a thought for the forgotten star of the show. Paul Collingwood gave his heart, soul and everything in between to become only the third English batsman to score a double-century in Australia, and then, when he had nothing left to give, his still gave it second-time around, clinging on for dear life while Shane Warne demolished his life’s work on that dreadful final morning. He made 329 runs at 109.67 in those first two Tests, and 104 at 17.33 in the last three. Nuff said.6
Monty Panesar
What difference might Monty have made had he played from the start? It’s all conjecture really. His magnificent impact at the WACA was diluted by two performances at Melbourne and Sydney in which he bowled to defensive fields and paid the price with two wickets at 71. What Monty did provide, however, was the sort of joie de vivre that was so palpably missing at Brisbane and Adelaide. England took the field in those matches like condemned men to the scaffold. What they really needed were competitors like Panesar, who genuinely wanted to get stuck into the contest.6
Matthew Hoggard
He was slightly slow on the uptake at Brisbane, but from the moment he found his length in that match, Hoggard resumed his role as England’s most reliable seamer. With a bit of support from his colleagues, his performance at Adelaide ought to have been a series-leveller. Four years ago, he was bludgeoned off a length by Hayden and Co. but he returned older, wiser and with the experience of the subcontinent to guide his tactics. Was sorely missed at Sydney, where a side-strain ended a run of 40 consecutive Test appearances.

5
Ian Bell
Bell had a twin problem on this tour – making starts and converting starts. On four occasions he passed 50 without going onto a hundred; on four occasions he failed to get into double-figures in the first place. But this was a huge personal series for the one man with a massive point to prove after his traumas in 2005. He stood firm amid the wreckage of England’s first innings at Brisbane, and even earned the admiration of his old tormentor, Glenn McGrath. His sheer appetite for runs could make him England’s kingpin come 2009.5
Alastair Cook
He is young and he will learn, but this was a torrid baptism for a man who only turned 22 on Christmas Day. Glenn McGrath and his bowl-alike Stuart Clark dismissed him in seven innings out of ten, invariably probing that troublesome corridor outside off stump – in fact his failings were remarkably similar to those of Marcus Trescothick in 2002-03. Unlike Trescothick, though, Cook did record a gritty hundred at Perth. It was the fourth of a career that began only in March. Come 2009, he will still only be 24, which is younger than the youngest Australian on display in this series.4
Andrew Flintoff
There was only one way that Flintoff was going to lead his side, and that was by example. Alas he was over-stretched and under-prepared for the ordeal that came his way. His ankle undermined his bowling, his batting was so out-of-sorts that England’s tail began at four-down, and the rest of his game fell away like needles from an unsold Christmas Tree. He found no words of inspiration in either the dressing-room or his increasingly banal press conferences, and was helpless at the crunch moments in the field – not least the Adelaide run-chase. But he was badly let down by his senior colleagues as well. On the first day at Brisbane he led with a stirring bowling performance … but no-one followed.4
Chris Read
Given his belated chance for Melbourne and Sydney, Read proved everything that we already knew about him. His glovework was exemplary and he twice equalled the Ashes record for dismissals in an innings (six). His batting, however, was unconvincing at best, with three single-figure scores out of four, and a soothing 26 not out when the pressure was off in the second innings at the MCG. Fletcher couldn’t rate him any less highly if he tried although, barring any Jones-esque meltdowns, he now has until the end of the World Cup to convince his many doubters.

3
Andrew Strauss
The most improbable failure of the series … and he had some competition. Maybe Strauss was missing Trescothick’s meaty strokeplay at the top of the order, because his approach seemed as muddled as some of the umpiring decisions that hastened his demise. In South Africa two winters ago, he had passed 600 runs for the series by playing precisely within his limitations – with barely a hint of a hook or a pull. This time he was flailing at everything, all too aware of his duty to set the tone for England’s innings. Nine starts, but not one score in excess of 50.3Ashley Giles
Deep down, he never wanted to be involved, and nor – sadly – did anyone in the country want him to be involved. Whether he was Fletcher’s pick or Flintoff’s pick is immaterial. Giles had not played in a first-class match for a year when he was thrown into the Gabbatoir on November 23, and mentally he wasn’t even close to full fitness. His candid newspaper diaries were arguably the best read of the tour, but what they revealed was a tortured soul whose personal doubts translated into an on-field performance notable only for what he didn’t do at Adelaide – ie, hold onto that catch.3
James Anderson
Redeemed himself partially with a spirited new-ball performance at Sydney, but for the first two Tests he was as nakedly out-of-sorts as he had been at Johannesburg in 2004-05 – and that is saying something. Just another of England’s odd picks in the series, although when the pressure was off in the tour matches at Adelaide and Perth, he zipped in with pace, swing and panache. Still young enough to come good in the future. He would benefit from a long chat with Hoggard about how to recover from such a chastening tour.

2
Steve Harmison
When asked at the start of the series for three factors that would define England’s defence of the Ashes, Mike Atherton presciently offered: “Harmison, Harmison and Harmison.” In the absence of so many key performers, Harmison was the one man who had the height, pace and talent to rip the throat out of Australia’s ageing batsmen. Instead, he served up that grotesque delivery at the Gabba, as a prelude to a supine performance. We all know he hates touring, but honestly. The man has now played 50 Tests.2
Sajid Mahmood
Nobody’s quite sure what Mahmood was doing on this tour. He didn’t play when he ought to have done, at Brisbane and Adelaide, when he was still a man with some memory of his part in the series win over Pakistan. And then, when he was thrown in at Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, he was rarely allowed a spell of more than two overs in any Test. Admittedly, he was targetted mercilessly by the Australians, but if he’d been given the same sort of indulgence that Harmison received, he might have had a chance to bowl himself back to form.2
Geraint Jones
Hard as it is to believe, Jones’s selection for Brisbane did make some kind of sense. He was, after all, a man with experience of the unique pressures of an Ashes series, and it was thought that his cross-batted style would come into its own on the bouncier wickets Down Under. What wasn’t taken into account, however, was the undiluted glee that his presence caused the Australians. Derided as a “club pro”, he was dissected mercilessly, and at Perth, he slumped out of the contest with the most miserable pair imaginable.

The United Cricket Board of South Africa has scored a major boost for amateur cricket by securing a sponsorship by SA Airways for both the inter-provincial and associate regions’ leagues that were launched last season for three and one-day cricket.Gerald Majola, the chief executive, described the sponsorship as a breakthrough for South African cricket. “This is the first major sponsorship of its kind in South African cricket. It is an integral part of our strategic plan to broaden the base and sharpen the pinnacle of our cricket.”It will be used to fund the UCBSA inter-provincial leagues for three-day and one-day cricket that were successfully launched last season, with all 11 UCBSA Affiliates and the five new Associates participating. The SAA sponsorship means that we can provide even more cricket for top amateur players. It will be a breeding ground for franchise and international cricket.Majola added that this grass-roots funding would have benefits right the way up the South African domestic system. “We have linked high-performance programmes to these amateur competitions to give a clear path for those who have the talent and commitment to go to the top.”The SAA sponsorship will also go a long way to help us keep up the traditions of provincial pride and identity through the leagues. We are very grateful to SAA for giving cricket yet another meaningful stepping stone towards nation-building.”Nozipho Japhta, SA Airways Executive Manager: Corporate Sponsorship, said: “South African cricket is a major nation-builder, and SAA is delighted to be part of their development programme. We are supporting amateur cricket because it is the feeder for the national teams of the future.”

South Africa believe they are getting closer to matching Australia on the Test match field but, each time the divide threatens to get a little smaller, familiar foes have stood in the way. However, today they faced up to the challenge and counterattacked with a verve that deserves much praise. They showed similar fight on the second day at Cape Town before capitulating, but the key here is the day ended on a positive note rather than a late fall of wickets.At 10 for 2, with Brett Lee consistently hitting above 150kph, the South Africans could have gone like a pack of cards, especially after a frustrating time trying to wrap up the Australian innings. But Jacques Kallis, who is playing under constant pain from what has been diagnosed as tennis elbow, refused to wilt. He was made to hop about, and was not always convincing against the short ball, but to beat Australia those are the periods batsmen have to battle through.Ironically, it was Ricky Ponting’s decision to bring Shane Warne and Andrew Symonds into the attack – so that the umpires wouldn’t offer the light – that enabled South Africa to finish on a more level playing field than had appeared likely for most of the day. Ponting’s move was another subtle way of Australia making a further statement of intent; they are already 1-0 up and could quite easily have headed for the dressing room, but this is not a team that plays for draws. South Africa are the ones who need to force the pace, yet would have been quite happy to kick their heels as the clouds rolled in.Kallis clearly wasn’t happy with the conditions and a couple of his boundaries were a release of frustration, but he and AB de Villiers soon realised that Warne and Symonds were not posing a huge threat. Kallis is certainly not considered a dasher among the world’s leading batsmen, but followed his aggressive intent from the first Test. He hasn’t had a huge amount of cricket of late, after sitting out the majority of South Africa’s recent one-day matches, and the benefits of an extended period in the middle showed as his balance and footwork returned to something near their best.The same can’t be said of Herschelle Gibbs who, despite his astonishing 175 in match at Johannesburg, continues to have a tough time in Tests against the Australians. He should have gone second ball today, Ponting shelling the chance at second slip, and there was an air of inevitability about his dismissal to Michael Kasprowicz. For the seventh time in nine knocks against Australia this summer he stumps were rattled – an unbelievably high number for a top-order batsman. Gibbs has always been prone to being bowled, given his keenness to free the arms at hit through the offside, but he has drifted further to leg and the Australians now aim to hit his stumps.If Gibbs’ manner of dismissal is becoming an unwanted similarity for South Africa, so is the identity of the man who held them up earlier in the day. Following a courageous draw at Perth in December, their winter began to unravel when Mike Hussey – never mind being Mr Cricket he is certainly Mr Fix It – and Glenn McGrath added 107 for the tenth wicket at Melbourne. The stand hauled Australia around from 248 for 9 and South Africa never fully recovered.Hussey’s intervention today was less dramatic, but no less important following Andre Nel’s burst which left Australia 259 for 7. A repeat of his 122 at the MCG was looming with Stuart Clark providing combative support and the South African bowlers growing increasingly agitated. If Ponting had continued with his quicks Hussey would have been the story of the day, but his thunder was stolen by a courageous recovery. South Africa have shared the honours for two days, but for that gap to become permanently smaller it must continue for the next three.