Australia 2 for 48 (Hayden 17*, Ponting 0*) trail England 159 (Strauss 50, Warne 5-39) by 111 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Shane Warne’s greatest strength, as befits the greatest bowler of the modern era, is not his prodigious ability to spin a cricket ball or the phenomenal accuracy with which he goes about his work. It is his ability to impose his iron will on any given occasion. And today, on the occasion of his final Test on his home ground at Melbourne, and with 699 Test wickets to his name, Warne rose above the conditions, the emotion, and most of all, his abject English opponents, to deliver the perfect belated Christmas present to an adoring crowd of 89,155.For all that he is Melbourne’s favourite son, Warne had absolutely no right to lord it to quite the extent that he did. On a miserably cold and damp day, the start of which was delayed by half-an-hour by morning drizzle, Warne took 5 for 39 in 17.2 overs of pure mischief-making. It was his 37th five-wicket haul in 144 Tests, his third in 11 at the MCG, and he didn’t even enter the attack until the 41st over of the day, by which stage two wickets had already been lost and several more were threatening to topple in conditions perfect for seam and swing.But that mattered not a jot to Warne, who sensed his stage and toyed with England as well as the crowd. Two overs before he was finally thrown the ball, he made as if to go to his mark and the crowd roared as Justin Langer took his cap off his head only to return it seconds later, and, when he did finally enter the attack, he needed only four overs to deliver the moment that his entire country had been awaiting. At 3.18pm, he bowled Andrew Strauss for an even 50 to reach 700 in Tests.The delivery that did for Strauss was a classic Warne dismissal, a flighted ball that dipped into the rough, bit and crashed into middle stump as the batsman played loosely for an imagined half-volley. The timing was especially shattering for England, who had lost Paul Collingwood two balls earlier to end a third-wicket stand of 57 – the highest of their innings. After that the rest of the innings passed like a Jubilee procession.Admittedly, it took Warne a while to get back in on the act again, but it hardly seemed to matter. Australia were unusually inept in the field – Matthew Hayden missed a straightforward chance in the gully and Adam Gilchrist muffed two chances behind the stumps, including a howler of a stumping against Kevin Pietersen – but they correctly surmised that another chance would be along before long.Sure enough, Warne bagged his second when Chris Read – picked in place of the out-of-form Geraint Jones – slapped a schoolboyish drive to short cover for 3 and returned to face the icy glare of his unamused coach, Duncan Fletcher. Steve Harmison heaved a wide ball to mid-on and trudged off for 7 before Pietersen, who seemed to be past caring by this stage, hoisted a steepler to Andrew Symonds in front of the screen screen. Warne wrapped up the innings when Monty Panesar, newly promoted to No. 10, scuffed another heave across the line and picked out Symonds again at mid-on.It had been, as Ricky Ponting admitted, a good toss to lose – and it was Flintoff who, understandly enough, chose to bat first. Glenn McGrath, like Warne, was making his final appearance in Melbourne, and he set the tone for the day in his very first over with a series of 125kph offbreaks. It was Brett Lee, however, who made the initial breakthrough when Alastair Cook – England’s centurion at the WACA – under-edged an attempted leave to Adam Gilchrist behind the stumps.

Given the conditions, Australia’s star performers should have been the slower seamers – McGrath, Stuart Clark and Andrew Symonds, who managed just three wickets between them but should have had at least seven. Ian Bell, who almost ran himself out first ball, was trapped lbw for 7 by Clark, who also added the captain, Flintoff, for another uneasy innings of 13. McGrath, meanwhile, had to make do with the sole scalp of Sajid Mahmood. It was another unworthy swipe that earned the wicket, but it was at least McGrath’s 150th in Tests against England.When their turn came late in the day, England did bowl pluckily in the circumstances, but without luck as umpire Rudi Koertzen turned down numerous lbw shouts – with Hoggard staring incredulously into his eyes after one particularly marginal call against Matthew Hayden. Flintoff managed to pop up with two in two balls before the close, removing Justin Langer and the nightwatchman Lee, but Warne’s exploits had already sealed the day’s honours.

Short cuts

Play of the day
Shane Warne’s 700th wicket was the moment most of the MCG wanted to see and Warne obliged his home fans by bowling Andrew Strauss in his fourth over. Figures of 5 for 39 provided an ideal start to his two-game farewell.Smart decision of the day
The umpires choosing to stay on the field for most of the first session. Misty rain hit the ground at times but it wasn’t until a heavy shower forced an early lunch that they gave in.Not so smart decisions of the day
It wasn’t a great day for Rudi Koertzen. Matthew Hayden should not have survived two lbw decisions to Matthew Hoggard and Paul Collingwood benefited when hit on the pads by Stuart Clark before he had scored.Surprise of the day
Was it the cold weather or slippery hands? The Australians had a sloppy day in the field, with Adam Gilchrist missing a stumping and a catch and Matthew Hayden dropping Andrew Strauss in the gully. The unusual set of mistakes didn’t matter in the end.Near miss of the day
According to Cricket Australia Boxing Day has been sold out since June 1, but a few thousands seats weren’t taken up. A world record to beat the 90,800 here in 1960-61 was predicted, but the 89,155 was still a new Ashes mark.Quote of the day
“I was going to keep running but I got puffed.” Shane Warne on his celebration for his 700th wicket

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.

Jesse Ryder’s 60 steered Wellington to a comfortable six-wicket victory against Northern Districts at the Basin Reserve. Wellington cantered to their target with two overs to spare after Iain O’Brien’s fine spell of 3 for 21 helped restrict Northern to just 150 for 8.A target of 151 isn’t huge in the Twenty20 format but Wellington made their chase harder by losing Chris Nevin and Michael Parlane by the third over, with only 16 on the board. Ryder continued to blaze away at one end, striking six fours and two sixes in his 39-ball 60. He found a steady partner in Neal Parlane, Michael’s brother, and together they added 92 for the third wicket and virtually sealed the victory.A lot of Wellington’s good work had been done by their bowlers who took regular wickets and didn’t allow Northern to build momentum. Alun Evans top-scored with 45 but got no support from the other batsmen. James Marshall, Daniel Flynn and Ian Butler chipped in with 27, 23 and 21 but O’Brien’s double-strike in the 17th took the wind out of Northern’s sails.

Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder, is expected to play in the World Cup and will seek treatment for his fractured finger only after the tournament ends, New Zealand Cricket has confirmed.Oram sustained the injury while taking the catch to dismiss Mitchell Johnson in the first ODI of the Chappell-Hadlee series against Australia at Wellington. He subsequently missed the next two ODIs and his availability for New Zealand’s opening match in the World Cup, against England on March 16, is in doubt. New Zealand play their second game, against Kenya, four days later.A specialist in Hamilton confirmed that the injury was indeed a fracture and that the scans also revealed some tendon damage. Oram will leave with the team to the West Indies with a splint to protect the ring finger on his left hand. He will be given pain relieving injections through the tournament, which ends on April 28.

Scott Styris feels he is “off the pace” after his lay-off with a back injury but remains confident he can be a major contributor in New Zealand’s World Cup campaign. Styris has had an interrupted few months since aggravating his problem at the Champions Trophy and has struggled to find form on his return to the ODI side.His CB Series and Chappell-Hadlee Trophy scores were 34, 16, 17 and 0, and he followed up with 26 in New Zealand’s warm-up game against Bangladesh on Tuesday. Styris conceded he would need to lift if he wants to help New Zealand fulfil their World Cup potential.”My form’s there or thereabouts,” he told . “I was quite happy when I came back into the side but I think I need to get more up to speed with the intensity of the game, more than anything. There’s a massive jump in intensity between our domestic cricket and here, and I’ve felt a bit off the pace, if anything.”But Styris is comfortable with Caribbean conditions, having made a Test century on debut there in 2002. “I’ve got good memories from the tour of the West Indies in 2002,” he said. “In the one-dayers I had an opportunity to bat higher up the order and did pretty well, and I guess that’s where I first persuaded the skipper and the selectors that I could play a front-line batting role.”The slow and low pitches expected during the World Cup would suit his playing style, Styris said. “They also tend to stop and turn a bit, which is conducive to what I try to do with the ball,” he said. “I feel I should be able to make a good contribution.”Having said that, they’ve got a whole lot of new grounds over here now and the pitches are pretty much an unknown quantity. There’s a suggestion that they’ll still be low and slow but I haven’t seen too many new surfaces play that way. We’ll just have to wait and see.”New Zealand’s final warm-up match is against Sri Lanka on Friday. They begin their World Cup campaign in earnest with a vital clash with England next Friday.

The Jamaican authorities have ordered an inquest to be held into the murder of Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach. Woolmer’s family was informed that his body would remain in Jamaica till the inquest was over.Coroner’s inquests are held in cases of sudden or unexplained deaths.The reported that according to the Commissioner of Police, Lucius Thomas, the coroner had directed the inquest be held “as soon as possible”.According to Les Green, the police officer heading the Major Investigation Task Force, no date has yet been set for the inquest. “We don’t know when it will begin at this point,” Green told the on Friday.But a release from the government’s public relations arm, the Jamaica Information Service, stated that the coroner gave an assurance that the inquest, which is to be held with a jury, would be conducted “as soon as practical”.The police also denied reports appearing in the foreign press that a man was arrested in connection with the case in Jamaica on Thursday night and that phone numbers of Pakistan and Indian team members were found in a cellular phone taken from the man.TVJ, a local television channel, reported that Darren Lifsun, the Pakistan team physiotherapist, and Murray Stevenson, the trainer, would stay back in Jamaica till the inquest is completed. “We promised the family to stay until everything is sorted out,” Lifsun told AFP. “The police informed the family first, then us, with everything, and then we told the team.”Woolmer died on March 18 in his hotel room in Kingston and five days later the cause of his death was confirmed to be asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation. The Pakistan team were fingerprinted and asked to provide DNA samples as part of the investigations.

Michael Vaughan has a “gut feeling” that corruption is still rife in international cricket, following speculation that Bob Woolmer’s murder may have been linked to a forthcoming book that was to lift the lid on the match-fixing scandal.”If I’m honest then yes, I do think it probably does go on,” said Vaughan. “I’ve never ever experienced it with anyone in my team or any players which I’ve played with, and I’ve never played against anyone I thought was doing it.”It’s not something that I’ve studied but my gut feeling is that there is still some form of corruption in the game. It’s very hard to clear the whole world of cricket of this, which is a huge statement to make, but it’s my gut feeling on it.”Vaughan’s first meaningful contribution as an England cricketer came in the infamous Test against South Africa at Centurion in 1999-2000, when he scored 69 to help secure a two-wicket win. The double-innings forfeiture that had enabled the rain-affected game to reach a conclusion, however, only came about after the South African captain, Hansie Cronje, had been bribed by a bookmaker.”I played in the Centurion Test, but I was just a young lad playing a game of cricket and never felt anything untoward was happening,” said Vaughan. “I’ve never been approached about it and hopefully to God I never will be because we don’t want to see any of that in the game.”It’s all speculation and it’s very hard to comment on any of these issues, but personally there have never been any incidents, nor have I been involved in any conversations regarding the fixing of a game of cricket.”Vaughan added that, amid all the rumours and conspiracy theories, the thoughts of his team remained with Woolmer’s widow, Gill, and two sons, Dale and Russell. “They are the people I feel sorry for,” he said. “Over the last five days speculation has spread around the Caribbean and his family have had to suffer and they are who we are thinking of at this minute.”Someone’s life has been lost and someone’s family have to suffer because someone has been murdered and I hope that is something that never happens again.”

Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, has sustained a nose injury after getting hit by an RP Singh bouncer during a net session in Kolkata. He is unlikely to take further part in the preparatory camp for the tour of Bangladesh beginning on May 10.With the focus being on running between the wickets during the practice session, two batsmen at a time were batting on the main Eden Gardens wickets. Sourav Ganguly had batted with Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa with Mahendra Dhoni, and then Dravid came out with Wasim Jaffer. The early excitement of the start of the session had worn off and almost everybody had settled for a quiet outing. Even the zealous TV cameras missed what followed.RP Singh, one of five bowlers taking part in the exercise, bowled one short of a length; Dravid leaned forward and, surprised by the bounce, was hit flush on the helmet. The crashing sound was heard in the BC Roy Club House Stand and Dravid went down immediately. He lay on the ground for about five minutes and the whole team gathered around as John Gloster, the physio, attended to him. As Dravid walked back to the dressing-room, his shirt had blood stains and he was in pain.The ball had hit the visor which in turn hit Dravid on the nose, causing the bleeding. An ENT specialist was summoned and an X-ray immediately done at the Eden Gardens revealed that there was no fracture or head injury, but a nose trauma. Surendra Bhave, the administrative manager, said that Dravid had been advised rest for 24 hours. “The X-ray showed bruises. John Gloster will follow up with the procedures advised,” said Bhave. “We are expecting him to be back in 48 hours.”A 24-hour rest and a slow recovery would mean that Dravid would not take further part in the Kolkata camp but was sure to travel to Bangladesh on May 7.

Bermuda’s Royal Gazette has reported that the indiscipline of the national team, which was of concern for some time before the World Cup, has grown worse in the two months.In the four weeks since training restarted for the national side, only three players – Irving Romaine, Kevin Hurdle and Lionel Cann – have bothered to attend, with another, Dwayne Leverock, absent because he is recovering from a tonsillectomy. A further three players – Dean Minors Saleem Mukuddem and Clay Smith – have retired.”There seems to be a certain amount of disinterest as far as the cricket and the preparation is concerned for the players to play to the best of their ability, and maybe this is something that needs to be looked at when the Board has its AGM,” Gus Logie, the coach, told the newspaper. “People have been invited to train with the squad but if they aren’t showing any interest then I think the board will have to make a decision on that.”Logie has clearly grown exasperated by the attitude of many players. “I have gone beyond being surprised by anything and I’m prepared to work with what I have.”Bermuda’s World Cup preparations were dogged by problems of the fitness and discipline of a number of players.Tell us what you think …

The West Indies Cricket Board is reportedly attempting to salvage the A-team tour to Zimbabwe despite being faced with players refusing to tour and confusion over the safety advice given regarding the wisdom of the trip even happening.Cricinfo has learned that Sylvester Joseph, who was originally named as captain last week, has declined the invitation to lead the side or take part. It now emerges that Daren Ganga was offered the role on Thursday and also turned it down. The latest name in the frame is Rawl Lewis.There is also increasing speculation that the West Indies Cricket Board is struggling to find enough players of a decent standard to fill the squad without it losing credibility. They are due to leave in a week and yet nobody has been named, despite daily assurances that an announcement is imminent.What is certain is that if the tour does happen, once again, as happened with the senior side before their tour of England, a West Indies team will set out with little preparation.Meanwhile, assurances from the West Indies board that CARICOM had given its blessing on player safety have been denied by Eddie Green, CARICOM’s assistant secretary general. He said that Tony Deyal, the WICB’s corporate services manager, had been told that “the Bureau of Heads the opinions were split and we need to send out a formal request to all Heads which we did two weeks ago. I have not spoken to him since and the official decison will be made on June 30.”Yesterday, Deyal told reporters that the WICB had “received a no-objection letter from … Greene”. That now seems to be incorrect, even though Bruce Aanensen, the WICB’s chief executive officer, said last weekend that a response from CARICOM had been delivered on June 13.The other documentation relied on by the WICB is from Zimbabwe Cricket and the Zimbabwe Republic Police. A source inside Zimbabwe told Cricinfo that any assurance from the police “was not only worthless but was a sick joke”. He added: “The police are the people to be afraid of, and the Zimbabwe board might not be the most objective party.”Deyal told Cricinfo that player safety was of paramount importance to the WICB and that nothing would ever be done to threaten that. He earlier said that unless WIPA passed over their documentary evidence that it would be unsafe to travel to Zimbabwe, then the tour would go ahead.”We want WIPA to send us what they have so we can make the best decision in the circumstances and that both parties can agree to it,” he said. “WIPA never sent us anything. We are anxious to get information. We have sought information from a variety of sources.”However, WIPA officials have told Cricinfo that much of the evidence they have has come from sources who do not wish to be identified as many of them fear for their own safety. In view of that, it will not be passed to the WICB for fear that it will find its way into the hands of the Zimbabwe authorities.”We are not in agreement with the tour as stated before because of concerns over players’ safety and the volatile situation in Zimbabwe,” Dinanath Ramnarine told The Nation. “That’s still our position. As far as we are concerned, the players’ safety is of paramount importance to us. We are a responsible organisation and we want to look after the interest of our members. We don’t see the benefits of the tour.””We are left to interpret the actions of WIPA to be nothing more than a play for power,” Deyal countered. That the two sides are again at loggerheads less than 24 hours after an arbitration panel, which yet again found in WIPA’s favour in a dispute with the board, stressed the need for the two parties to work together, does not bode well.