Ind-SA: Sehwag ruled out of ODI series

New Delhi: In a big blow to Team India's preparations for the 2011 Cricket world Cup, Virender Sehwag was on Thursday ruled out of the forthcoming one-day series against South Africa due to his nagging shoulder injury.

According to a statement issued by the BCCI, Rohit Sharma will replace the opener, while Murali Vijay will stay back in South Africa for the ODI series as the 17th playing member of the squad. It is still unclear if Sehwag's injury is serious enough for him to be withdrawn for the third Test scheduled to be played from January 2 at Cape Town.

This is the third time in the calendar year that Sehwag has had to pull out of a tournament becuase of his shoulder injury. Earlier in the year, he missed out on the World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies and was rested for the subsequent tour of Zimbabwe as well. Also, during the Asia Cup he was ruled out of the final with a strained hamstring.

Even in 2009, Sehwag missed out on a place in India's squad for the World Twenty20 event in England after injuring his shoulder during the second season of the Indian Premier League that was played in South Africa.

The India-South Africa Test series is even as 1-1 with the deciding Test to be played in Cape Town from January 2. The two sides will then play a T20 game on January 9. The five-match ODI series starts on January 12.

Pak maul NZ by 103 runs in 3rd T20

Wellington: Abdul Razzaq produced a man-of-the-match performance with bat and ball to ensure Pakistan salvaged some credibility and embarrassed New Zealand by 103 runs in their third and final Twenty20 international in Christchurch on Thursday.

Razzaq, who was dropped by Nathan McCullum while on two in the 19th over, proceeded to smash three sixes and three fours and finish 34 not out off 11 balls and help his side to a credible 183 for six in their 20 overs.

he 31-year-old medium fast bowler then destroyed New Zealand's batting lineup taking three wickets as the hosts, who had already wrapped up the series after wins in Auckland and Hamilton, crashed to 11-5 before limping to 80 all out.

The hosts had lost four wickets for three runs in the first 17 balls with Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Dean Brownlie and captain Ross Taylor all failing to score.

Razzaq finished with figures of 3-13 off four overs, though the return was only inflated when Scott Styris hit successive boundaries off his final two balls.

Styris was the only New Zealand batsmen to emerge with any credibility, top scoring with 45 to ensure they avoided achieving the lowest international Twenty20 score of 67, held by Kenya.

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi finished with 4-14 off 2.5 overs, including two wickets in two balls in his second over.

Pakistan's openers Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez had given their side a superb start, racing along at more than 10 runs an over as they exploited the superb batting surface, short boundaries and fielding restrictions.

James Franklin finally broke the opening stand with the score on 81 when Hafeez was caught one handed by a leaping Taylor for 34.

Shehzad was then trapped lbw by Franklin for 54 to reduce Pakistan to 90 for two in the 11th over and while their middle order struggled, Razzaq turned the game in the final two overs.

The teams now embark on a two-Test series, starting in Hamilton on January 7, before playing six one-day internationals as they build-up to the 50-over World Cup, which starts on February 19.

Eng's 'sprinkler' dance a huge hit among fans

London: After making Australia dance to their tune in their historic Ashes triumph in Melbourne, England broke into a "sprinkler" celebration dance which has become a huge hit with the fans.

After England raced over the line with an innings and 157-run victory in the Fourth Test to retain the Ashes on Australian soil after 24 years, the players took a victory lap and then broke into a jig in front of jubilant Barmy Army fans, the video of which is a massive hit on YouTube.

India finish off South Africa to level series

* India come back from Centurion defeat with 87-run win
Khan and Sreesanth get three wickets each

Indian batsman Laxman named player of the match

DURBAN, South Africa, Dec 29 - India staged a great comeback from their innings defeat at Centurion to beat South Africa by 87 runs on the fourth day of the second test at Kingsmead on Wednesday.
Chasing 303 for a series-clinching victory, South Africa resumed the fourth day on 111-3 but four early wickets left the hosts in desperate trouble at 155-7.
South Africa put up some resistance, Ashwell Prince finishing 39 not out and Morne Morkel scoring 20 but India were not to be denied a victory that levels the series 1-1.
Sreesanth (3-45) and Khan (3-57) were the pick of the bowlers and the win was sealed when Cheteshwar Pujara ran out Lonwabo Tsotsobe with a fine bit of reflex fielding to dismiss the hosts for 215 after lunch.
India's Vangipurappu Laxman was named player of the bowler-dominated match for his aggregate 134 runs in both innings including 96 in his team's second innings 228.
Sreesanth claimed the key wicket of Jacques Kallis for 17 in the eighth over of the day with an inspired delivery that reared up off a good length, as South Africa's leading run-scorer could only fend the ball off his gloves into the gully region.
Five overs later AB de Villiers, who had resumed on day four with Kallis, was fell lbw to Harbhajan for 33 in a close call despite a long stride forward.
There was more doubt over Mark Boucher's wicket, the wicketkeeper given out leg-before for one, though replays suggested the ball would not have hit the stumps.
The series decider will be played in Cape Town starting on Jan. 2.

England retains the Ashes

England has retained the Ashes for the first time in 24 years with a crushing innings and 157-run victory over Australia in the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The tourists claimed the remaining three wickets just before lunch on the fourth day to end Australia's second innings at 9 for 258, with the injured Ryan Harris unable to bat.
The triumph hands England a 2-1 series lead, enough for it to keep its hands on the famous urn for the first time since 1986/87, despite a match still left to play in Sydney.
"It's pretty hard to accept, but we haven't deserved it, that's the bottom line," Australian captain Ricky Ponting told Grandstand.
"We haven't played anywhere near well enough this week to give ourselves even half a chance to get away with a draw in this game.
"We can still level the series, which has got to be our motivation for us from now on.
"We have been beaten badly, we have to try and put that behind us if we can, learn some lessons from the game and get to Sydney and try to salvage some pride for the group and for all the supporters who have come out and watched us."
England captain Andrew Strauss hailed a total squad performance for England's success over the summer.
"We have worked really hard, we have prepared well for this tour, we thought we had a strategy that would work out here," he said.
"But it's up to the players to go out and deliver it, and I take my hat off to all the players who have come out here and stood up when it matter and that's they key to it all.
"You need strength in depth, if we only relied on 11 then it would have hurt us pretty badly when Stuart Broad got injured.
"Those back-up seamers showed what they could offer against Australia A and they have transferred it into the Test match.
"Performances have come throughout the whole side, we haven't relied on one or two players in this series and if you want to be a good side that's what you need."
Kevin Pietersen paid tribute to the travelling English fans after embracing in a victory 'sprinkler' dance with the famous Barmy Army.
"We have the best fans in the whole of the world," he said.
"They follow us around the world and they have had 24 years of pain here in Australia and for us to do this for them today is absolutely amazing," he said.
The MCG loss is the second massive defeat for Australia this summer after going down by an innings and 71 runs in he second Test in Adelaide to hand England a 1-0 series lead.
Australia emphatically levelled the series with a 267-run victory in Perth but was convincingly outplayed after a disastrous start to the fourth Test.
The hosts were skittled for 98 on Boxing Day and their pain was compounded when Jonathan Trott's unbeaten 168 helped England to a huge first-innings total of 513 and a lead of 415 runs.
Australia's top order folded again in the second dig with England reducing its rivals to 6 for 169 at stumps on day three.
Brad Haddin and Peter Siddle delayed the inevitable for nearly 17 overs on the fourth morning with an entertaining 86-run partnership for the eighth wicket after Mitchell Johnson was dismissed in the second over.
Siddle eventually holed out for a Test-best 40 before Ben Hilfenhaus was the last man out, caught behind from the bowling of Tim Bresnan.
Haddin remained 55 not out.
Bresnan, playing in his first Ashes Test, finished with figures of 4 for 50 in the second innings, his removal of Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey in the space of five overs on day three proving the catalyst for England's victory.
"[Bresnan] has come here under a lot of pressure in a Boxing Day Test match," spinner and good friend Graeme Swann said.
"He ripped out their top order and it was so fitting he was bowling at the end to take that wicket I thought."
It is also only the second time in the last 12 Test matches Australia has lost at the MCG. The other defeat came against South Africa two years ago.
The last time England won an Ashes series in Australia was also after an innings victory in Melbourne.
England has now won or retained three of the last four Ashes series since 2005.

Ind-SA: SA reach 111/3 at stumps on day three

Durban: India removed South Africa's top three batsmen in the final session on Tuesday to edge toward a series-levelling win in the second Test at Kingsmead.

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth took 2-30 and Harbhajan Singh 1-29 as South Africa was 111-3 in its second innings at stumps on day three, still 192 runs short of a challenging target of 303. Jacques Kallis was 12 not out and AB de Villiers 17 not out, with India's bowlers eyeing victory on a quick, bouncy Durban pitch.

Sreesanth broke a 63-run opening partnership when Graeme Smith top-edged a hook shot and was caught by wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for 37. Alviro Petersen (26) and Hashim Amla (16) were also out to leave the home team under pressure after losing three wickets for 19 runs.

Kallis and De Villiers then put on a 29-run partnership to take South Africa to an early close when bad light ended play.

Earlier, VVS Laxman made an impressive 96 — the only score above 50 in the match so far — to guide India to 228 all out in its second innings, over 300 runs ahead.

"It was important to get a good lead and give the bowlers a decent target," Laxman said. "I'm a little disappointed not to get 100, I've never got 100 in South Africa. But, doing well for the team is the only motivation for me.

"Tomorrow's morning session is very important. If we get the wicket of Jacques Kallis early it will be crucial for us."

With two days to play, South Africa has to make the highest innings total of the game to take a 2-0 lead and wrap up the three-Test series. Victory for top-ranked India will take the series between the leading two teams in the five-day game to a deciding match in Cape Town.

South Africa set about its chase with attacking strokeplay from Smith and Petersen. Smith hammered five fours in his 38-ball 37 and Petersen hit four boundaries as the openers raced to 63 in 12 overs.

But, Smith skied his attempted hook shot off Sreesanth — soon after a confrontation between the two players — to start the mini-collapse. Petersen was caught at short leg after steep bounce from Harbhajan and Amla flashed an edge behind to Dhoni before Kallis and De Villiers consolidated.

The home team was bundled out for 131 in its first innings after India made 205 batting first as 18 wickets fell in Durban on day two and nine on day three. Only twice has a team made more than 300 in the fourth innings to win a Test at Kingsmead.

"We're still quietly confident," South Africa spinner Paul Harris said. "We have seven wickets in hand. All we need is one partnership and we've got the game in the bag."

Laxman's 49th half-century in Tests was the standout performance of the day as he combined with Zaheer Khan for a 70-run partnership for the eighth wicket that pushed the game away from South Africa.

The classy Laxman — who top-scored with 38 in the first innings — hit 12 fours to boost India after three quick wickets had seen the tourists slip to 148-7 halfway through the morning session. He finally fell after facing 171 balls when he cut at a wide delivery from Dale Steyn and edged to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher to end India's second innings.

Continuing on 92-4, India had lost Cheteshwar Pujara for 10 in the second over of the day when he was bowled by Morne Morkel (3-47). Dhoni (21) was out to Lonwabo Tsotsobe (3-43) and Morkel then had Harbhajan caught by Kallis at slip with India 148-7, a lead of 222.

But Laxman and Zaheer combined for the best partnership of the match so far to raise Indian hopes of drawing level in the series.

Zaheer smashed four fours, including two in two balls off Steyn after surviving a huge lbw appeal from South Africa's main strike bowler, to frustrate the Proteas. He was out in the second over after lunch when he misjudged the bounce from left-arm spinner Harris and was caught by De Villiers.

Ishant Sharma followed for a duck to give Kallis his only wicket of the match and Laxman chased a wide delivery to fall four runs short of a 17th Test century.

Dominant England on brink of retaining Ashes

Bresnan smashes through Australia top order

England within four wickets of sealing Ashes

Australia still 246 runs in arrears

MELBOURNE, - England stand on the brink of retaining the Ashes, 24 years on from their last triumphant tour of Australia, after their bowlers blasted through the hosts' top order in the fourth test on Tuesday.

Needing 415 runs just to make England bat again, Australia's brittle batsmen failed to withstand the pressure in front of a crowd of more than 68,000 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, limping to 169 for six at close on the third day.

England need only clinch the remaining four wickets -- in fact three may well be enough with Ryan Harris injured -- to go 2-1 up with one to play in the five-match series and become the first team to take home the Ashes since Mike Gatting led the tourists to a 2-1 triumph in 1986/87.

Australia, bundled out for 98 in the first innings, still trail by 246 runs with two days left to play in a match they cannot afford to lose, with England, as holders, only needing a drawn series to retain the urn.

Tim Bresnan, called into the side for Steve Finn, took three wickets in a brilliant spell after tea to leave Australia reeling on 104-4 before Graeme Swann and James Anderson took a wicket apiece to inflict further pain on the hosts.

Brad Haddin (11) and Mitchell Johnson (6) were left at stumps facing the virtually impossible task of halting England's victory charge on day four, after Bresnan recorded his best test figures of 3-26.

Shane Watson, who top-scored with 54 but ran out his opening partner Phillip Hughes for 23 to start the tumbling of wickets, conceded the Ashes were beyond Australia's grasp.

"Obviously we will do everything we can to restore the pride and try to draw the series, but in the end the most important thing is actually winning that little urn and we haven't been able to do it," he said.

England's task may even be made easier, with Australia paceman Harris uncertain to bat after suffering an ankle injury that will likely require surgery.

One of Bresnan's wickets was Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who struggled to 20 before chopping on to his stumps, continuing a woeful run in a series in which his highest score remains an unbeaten 51 in the drawn first test in Brisbane.

Ponting apologised before taking the crease for his ugly remonstration with the umpires on Monday over a video referral, but mea culpas may not save the 36-year-old's captaincy or win forgiveness from a shattered Australian public.

He stands on the verge of becoming the first Australian skipper in more than 100 years to lose the Ashes three times and after scores of 10, 1, 12, 9 and 0 in his five previous innings, can no longer lean on his batting record to justify his tenure.

Australia's bowlers, to their credit, had earlier raced through England's last five wickets for the addition of 69 runs to have the tourists dismissed for 513 just before lunch.

Any hope of the attack's performance inspiring the batsmen were soon dashed when Watson ran out Hughes.

The pair had made a bright start, notching 50 runs at more than five an over, before Watson pushed to cover and called Hughes through for a single.

"It's a horrendous feeling running out a team mate, you'd rather it be yourself," said Watson, who has a reputation as an unreliable runner. "I thought there was a run but obviously there wasn't...so, I'd say it was my fault."

Jonathan Trott, whose unbeaten 168 earlier put England in complete command, swooped on the ball and flung it low and straight to wicketkeeper Matt Prior, who whipped off the bails with Hughes short of the crease.

The dismissal was a repeat of the run out in the second test in Adelaide when Watson ran Simon Katich out on the fourth ball of the first innings, though there Trott made a direct hit.

Watson and Ponting helped Australia stutter to 95-1 at tea but rarely appeared comfortable at the crease and both soon lost their wickets to Bresnan.

The replacement quick trapped Watson lbw for 54 before removing Ponting, then Mike Hussey for a duck (0) when the batsman pushed a delivery that stayed low to short cover where Ian Bell took a smart catch.

Michael Clarke, who has managed one half-century in the series, scratched around for 13 runs in a 66-ball knock before nicking a Swann delivery to skipper Andrew Strauss at slip.

Steve Smith survived a little longer but was bowled by Anderson for 38 to leave the hosts reeling at 158-6.

Australia's woes had earlier been compounded when paceman Harris hobbled off the ground injured after stumbling in an aborted run-up bowling to Bresnan. A team spokesman later said Harris would likely need surgery for a stress fracture.

Australia bowl England out, face 415-run deficit

MELBOURNE, - Australia bowled England out for 513 shortly before the scheduled lunch break on the third day of the fourth test on Tuesday but now face a massive deficit of 415 with nearly three days to play.
Peter Siddle picked up three wickets to finish with six for 75 as fellow paceman Ben Hilfenhaus helped clean up the tail with two wickets. England's Jonathan Trott was left stranded on 168 not out.
England had resumed on 444-5 and Siddle wasted little time before removing Matt Prior, the wicketkeeper chipping straight to Ricky Ponting at mid-on to be out for 85.
Siddle then had his fifth wicket when Tim Bresnan feathered a catch to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin for four.
Siddle, who also took two catches on Monday to help Mitchell Johnson to two wickets, celebrated his fifth-wicket by blowing a kiss to his weeping mother in the stand.
The rare moment of joy in a grim test for Australia was tempered by an ankle injury to paceman Ryan Harris, who hobbled off the field injured in between Siddle's wickets.
Harris, who had gone wicketless for 91 runs, stumbled on an aborted run-up when bowling to Bresnan and after surveying his foot for a few moments, promptly left the field.
Hilfenhaus captured his first wicket after nearly two days of fruitless toil, removing Graeme Swann for a swashbuckling knock of 22 when the spinner miscued a hook that Brad Haddin leapt to pull down.
The seamer then bowled towering paceman Chris Tremlett for four, before Siddle bowled Anderson for one to wrap up the innings. England's last three wickets fell for five runs.
The five-test series is level at 1-1, but victory in Melbourne will see England take the Ashes home for the first time in 24 years.

Ind-SA: India 92/4 at stumps, lead by 166

Durban: India fought back against South Africa through Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh's fine spells, but the batsmen squandered the advantage, leaving the second Test delicately poised after two days of gruelling cricket between the world's top two teams.

On an action-packed day, the bowlers ruled the roost, taking 18 wickets.

India, resuming at 183 for six, were bowled out after adding only 22 runs, before pace spearhead Zaheer and Harbhajan ran through the South African batting, bowling out the hosts for 131 runs.

Having got a crucial lead of 74 runs, India were in with a great chance of avenging their humiliating defeat at Centurion and levelling the series. But the batting failed yet again and India were tottering at 92 for four in their second innings at stumps.

India were leading by 166 runs with VVS Laxman (23) and Cheteshwar Pujara (10) battling against Dale Steyn (1-27) and Morne Morkel (1-17) when bad light stopped play.

It was a tad slower Lonwabo Tsotsobe (2-16), who did the damage in India's second outing, taking the crucial wickets of Virender Sehwag (32) and Rahul Dravid (2).

Sehwag, who struck six fours in 31 balls, was looking dangerous and added 42 runs with Murali Vijay for the opening partnership. Sehwag, however threw his wicket trying to go after Tsotsobe's wide delivery but managed only an outside edge.

Vijay, who was looking good, faced a steep bouncer from Morne Morkel, pooping up a catch to Hashim Amla at short leg while trying to fend it off.

Dravid,too, looked comfortable but drove a wide delivery and was caught behind.

Sachin Tendulkar (6) opened the face of the bat to steer the pace of Steyn, but AB de Villiers leapt for the catch at third slip.

The four wickets dampened India's fightback earlier in the day. Pace spearhead Zaheer's return made a big difference. The left-arm seamer, who missed out the first Test due to a hamstring injury, toiled hard to keep South Africa on the backfoot.

Zaheer bowled beautifully to pin down the South African openers. The left-hander got the ball to seam around. He did not have to wait long for the reward as South African captain Graeme Smith, who has often been at Zaheer's receiving end, edged behind.

Zaheer then removed Alviro Peterson (24), who moved across, allowing the ball to hit his leg stump.

But Zaheer did not get good support from the other end, with both Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma lacking consistency in their line and length.

Amla and Jacques Kallis (10) added 30 runs and were looking good when India got the latter out with a stroke of luck. Kallis backed up far too ahead and Ishant got his fingertips to the straight shot from Amla that hit the wicket and found him out of his crease.

Sreesanth, who was bowling waywardly till then, suddenly bowled an unplayable delivery that swung late to kiss the gloves of AB de Villiers and Dhoni gobbled an easy catch.

South Africa, who were struggling at 74 for four at lunch, folded up dramatically to lose their last six wickets for 35 runs in 20.4 overs, forcing an early tea.

After lunch it was Harbhajan and some fine catching from the visitors that triggered South Africa's downfall.

Amla (33) was trapped in front as he attempted to sweep Harbhajan. Zaheer then cleaned up Ashwell Prince.

Dravid took a spectacular reflex catch diving to his left to remove Steyn. It was Dravid's 200th catch and he tops the list of most catches held in a Test match. Pujara held another splendid bat-pad to get rid of Paul Harris. Harbhajan was the bowler on both occasions.

Harbhajan was again in the thick of action when he caught a Morne Morkel skier at third man after Ishant Sharma set-up the fast bowler with sharp bouncers.

Harbhajan picked the last man Tsotsobe, who was caught by Murali Vijay at mid-wicket.

Earlier, India were bowled out for 205. Overnight batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni (35) scored 15 of those runs, including a six off Steyn, but perished in the deep while attempting another big hit.

Ponting fined by ICC after on-field incident

Melbourne: Australia captain Ricky Ponting was fined 40 per cent of his match fee by the ICC on Monday after arguing with umpires over an unsuccessful video review during the second day of the fourth Ashes cricket Test against England.

The International Cricket Council said Ponting was found guilty of breaching its code of conduct after getting into a heated argument with match referee Ranjan Madugalle after Kevin Pietersen was given not out while on 49 by the video referee.

The ICC said Ponting pleaded guilty to the charge, meaning the fine could be imposed by disciplinary official Ranjan Madugalle without a full hearing.

"Ricky's actions as captain of his country were unacceptable," Madugalle said. "A captain is expected to set the example and not get involved in a prolonged discussion with the on-field umpires and question their decision."

Madugalle said Ponting had apologised for his behaviour.

The incident came after Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin persuaded Ponting to call for a video review after Pietersen appeared to edge a Ryan Harris delivery. When Pietersen was ruled not out, Ponting argued heatedly, and at length, with on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Tony Hill. Paceman Peter Siddle joined in at one point, waving a finger.

Ponting demanded to know from Dar, then Hill, why it was not out. Ponting also had an angry exchange with Pietersen, amid loud booing from the crowd.

The 'hot spot' technology used by the third umpire showed a bright mark on Pietersen's bat but it was not near where the ball passed between bat and pad.

Pietersen was dismissed by Mitchell Johnson for 51 before fellow South African-born batsman Jonathan Trott led England to 444-5 at stumps for a lead of 346 runs.

Trott, who shared the crease with Pietersen when the incident occurred, claimed to have no knowledge of what was said or why Ponting was angered.

"I don't really know much about what was going on, I was talking to KP the whole time," he said. "I didn't see any altercation really. I saw (Ponting) chatting but I'm not sure what about."

Siddle returned figures of 3-58 and took two catches.