Tailender Danny Briggs kept his nerve to guide reigning champions Hampshire to a thrilling two-wicket win over Glamorgan at the Rose Bowl

08-Jun-2011
ScorecardTailender Danny Briggs kept his nerve to guide reigning champions Hampshire to a thrilling two-wicket win over Glamorgan at the Rose Bowl. Hampshire have now won their first four Friends Life t20 fixtures this season but plucky Glamorgan made them fight all the way for their latest success.Chasing Glamorgan’s seemingly inadequate 120 for 9, Hampshire lost a spate of wickets in their chase, with seven going down for the gain of only 64 runs. That left then labouring on 115 for 8 going into the last over from Mark Cosgrove, but Briggs, batting at No 10, picked up four useful runs and Dominic Cork (9 not out) added two to his total as Hampshire scraped just home with four balls to spare.Leftarm spinner Briggs had earlier shone with the ball as he undermined the Glamorgan innings by running through the middle order to take 4 for 24 from his four overs.Glamorgan captain Alviro Petersen chose to bat first but none of his batsmen could build an innings, with Jim Allenby’s modest 28 the best they could muster. Allenby’s was the fourth wicket to fall with the score on 69 – the only victim of former Glamorgan stalwart Simon Jones.Hampshire lost Jimmy Adams to the fourth ball of their reply but Michael Lumb and James Vince put on 50 in six overs as Hampshire appeared to be heading for a comfortable win.But Glamorgan hit back with the introduction of veteran spinners Dean Cosker and Robert Croft, the former removing Lumb and Benny Howell and Croft sending back Vince.Dimitri Mascarenhas was the only man from Hampshire’s final six batsmen to reach double figures, but in the end the hosts did just enough with Briggs and Cork dragging them over the line at the death.

Leicestershire Foxes remain on course for a quarter-final place in the Friends Life t20 thanks to a comfortable six-wicket win over struggling Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Grace Road

03-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Leicestershire Foxes remain on course for a quarter-final place in the Friends Life t20 thanks to a comfortable six-wicket win over struggling Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Grace Road.Australian all-rounder Andrew McDonald once again played a starring role for the Foxes, taking three wickets and then following it up with an unbeaten 38 to steer his side to their 131-run victory target with 13 balls to spare.It was the Foxes’ seventh win in the competition this season and their third home victory in a row. With three matches left, they stay second in the North Group table, two points behind Nottinghamshire Outlaws.McDonald, acting captain in the absence of the injured Matthew Hoggard, lost the toss but was then delighted to see the Foxes’ attack restrict the Steelbacks to a below-par total of 130 for nine.The visitors made a sluggish start, with only eight runs coming off the first three overs, but accelerated to score 36 off the next three before losing opener Rob White in the seventh over with the total on 46.White was bowled off an inside edge by McDonald, and from that point on it was all downhill for the Steelbacks. The impressive McDonald also removed Bilal Shafayat for 28 and Niall O’Brien for 23 as the Northamptonshire innings ground to a halt.Left-arm spinner Claude Henderson conceded only 22 runs in his four overs, taking the wicket of Alex Wakely, while left-arm seamer Harry Gurney continued his impressive form in the competition. He ensured there would be no late-order revival from the Steelbacks with the wickets of Johan Botha, James Middlebrook and Jack Brooks in his final two overs to finish with three for 25 and take his total wickets so far to 21 in the competition.McDonald claimed 3 for 26 before the Foxes were able to cruise through to their target. Despite losing Josh Cobb in the first over and Jacques Du Toit in the second with only 10 on the board, McDonald and Will Jefferson pulled things round with a stand of 63 in six overs.Jefferson was in blistering form, smashing two fours and five sixes in a sparkling knock of 41 off 21 balls before being caught at short fine leg off Botha. But McDonald, with 38 off as many balls, and James Taylor, with an unbeaten 21, saw the Foxes to victory.

Fifties from Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza put their team in a good position before a brace of late wickets for Luke Butterworth pegged Zimbabwe XI back to 250 for 5 at stumps

The Report by Liam Brickhill21-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Zimbabwe XI welcomed Brendan Taylor, the new national captain, back to their ranks for the second four-day match against Australia A at Harare Sports Club and he made an immediate impression, top-scoring with 85 and sharing a 96-run stand for the third wicket with Hamilton Masakadza. Their efforts put their team in a good position before a brace of late wickets for Luke Butterworth pegged Zimbabwe back to 250 for 5 at stumps.Taylor was one of four changes to Zimbabwe XI’s team for this match, with Ray Price, Chris Mpofu and Kyle Jarvis also included. His first duty after returning from the shoulder niggle, and nasal surgery, that kept him out of the first match was to win the toss, after which he decided to bat. Opener Vusi Sibanda rocketed out of the blocks in uncharacteristically attacking fashion, striking seven fours before he was bowled by left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc for 33 in the 12th over.A boundary-hitter in domestic cricket, Tino Mawoyo continued to curb his attacking instincts and was not removed until the 27th over, for a grinding, 78-ball 24. His departure brought Masakadza and Taylor together, and after seeing their side safely to lunch they set about the Australian bowlers with increasing assertiveness in the afternoon.Both men passed fifty and looked set for plenty more before Trent Copeland trapped Masakadza in front of his stumps for 64. Once again the batsmen went into survival mode, mindful of a brittle middle order, and both Taylor and Craig Ervine played with utmost caution to take their side to 196 for 3 at tea.They batted on through the afternoon at a fairly sedate pace, but the new ball was taken with just under five overs to go before stumps, and it quickly brought results for Australia. Butterworth got through Taylor’s defences to remove him leg before for 85, and end the fourth-wicket partnership at 76, and in his next over found the edge of Ervine’s bat as Zimbabwe slipped to 250 for 5.Nightwatchman Ray Price and wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva survived a nervous few minutes, but after Zimbabwe had held their own for extended sessions of play the late wickets tipped the balance of the day’s honours in Australia’s favour.

A half-century from South African-born all-rounder Kirk Wernars failed to
prevent Sussex from conceding a first innings lead of 25 on the second day of
their County Championship Division One match against Worcestershire at
Horsham

11-Aug-2011
Scorecard
A half-century from South African-born all-rounder Kirk Wernars failed to
prevent Sussex from conceding a first innings lead of 25 on the second day of
their County Championship Division One match against Worcestershire at
Horsham.The 20-year-old from Cape Town, who qualifies for county cricket because he has
a Dutch passport, made a composed 53 in only his third first-class game. Earlier, makeshift opener Joe Gatting made 71 but Sussex’s familiar failure to build a substantial score was evident again as they were bowled out for 265 – the eighth time in their last nine innings that they have made less than 300.Worcestershire went in again shortly before the close and reached 16 without
loss, a lead of 41 going into the third day. Earlier, Gatting and Ed Joyce posted 57 for the first wicket in a rain-affected morning session before Joyce was athletically caught by wicketkeeper Ben Scott chasing a ball angled down the leg side by Gareth Andrew.Alan Richardson bowled Luke Wells through the gate for a duck and the veteran
seamer then picked up Gatting, who had hit 11 fours from 77 balls faced, when he
adjusted his length and found the edge.Out-of-form skipper Mike Yardy paid the penalty for chasing width and Ben Brown
played on to Moeen Ali, who picked up three wickets for 43 runs from 17 overs of
probing off breaks. But from 152 for five Sussex were revived by a stand of 61 in 20 overs between Murray Goodwin and Wernars.Goodwin, inhibited perhaps by a hand injury he picked up in Monday’s Friends
Life t20 quarter-final, was dropped at second slip by Daryl Mitchell on 17. However, the Worcestershire captain made amends when he clung on to a sharp chance when Goodwin – on 48 – gave Saeed Ajmal the charge.Wayne Parnell offered compatriot Wernars decent support in a seventh-wicket
stand of 28 before he padded up to Moeen. However, Wernars completed his half-century off 110 balls and had moved onto 53 when he was needlessly run out. Monty Panesar drilled the ball straight to Alex Kervezee at mid-on and set off for a single and his partner was too slow in
responding as Kervezee produced an accurate return.Moeen picked up his third wicket when James Anyon edged to slip. With the light too bad for his quicker bowlers, Yardy opened with Panesar and off-spinner Wells but Worcestershire’s openers survived six overs at the end without alarm.

Garey Mathurin has been included in the West Indies Twenty20 squad against England in place of offspinner Ashley Nurse

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2011Windward Islands left-arm spinner Garey Mathurin has been included in the West Indies Twenty20 squad against England in place of offspinner Ashley Nurse, who did not meet the required fitness standard at a preparatory camp in Barbados.Mathurin, 27, has played 11 first-class games, picking up 40 wickets at 22.15 and 12 T20 games, collecting 10 wickets at 24.50 with an impressive economy rate of 5.56. He has best figures of 7 for 72 against the England Lions, followed by 5 for 86 against Leeward Islands the very next game this season.”I see this as an opportunity given to me to represent the people of the Caribbean and I’m looking to have a good tour,” Mathurin said. “I’m looking forward to fitting into the new environment and working with the coach and the other members of the team. I’m a confident person and a confident cricketer so I always keep a positive outlook.”In T20 cricket it’s all about looking to get runs as quickly as possible so the aim of the bowler is to keep the batsmen in check and restrict the scoring. My main asset is my ability to keep it tight and build pressure on the batsmen. I see this as my job in the team. Also, I know I have to contribute with the bat and I’m always looking to see what I can do to contribute to the team.”Mathurin is the third St Lucian to be picked in the West Indies national team, after Johnson Charles and Darren Sammy. “I have known Darren for a very long time, we played together at the Under-19 level and the senior level for St Lucia and Windwards and we talk a lot about the game, so it’s special for me that I get to play for West Indies with him as the captain.”West Indies play two Twenty20 internationals in England, on September 23 and 25, and have selected a young side, with many seniors unavailable due to their participation in the Champions League Twenty20.

Australia’s enigmatic fast bowler Mitchell Johnson believes he can nab plenty of wickets in South Africa – simply by replicating the way he bowled in Sri Lanka

Daniel Brettig06-Oct-2011Australia’s enigmatic fast bowler Mitchell Johnson believes he can nab plenty of wickets in South Africa – simply by replicating the way he bowled in Sri Lanka.Though Johnson returned only six wickets at 52.18 in Australia’s 1-0 series win, he felt his rhythm and pace were good enough to do greater damage in more helpful conditions. These climes almost certainly await him in South Africa, where Johnson was at his most fearsome in the tourists’ unexpected 2-1 success in early 2009.”I actually felt I bowled pretty well, pretty consistent over in Sri Lanka,” Johnson said at Western Australia’s season launch in Perth. “Obviously I didn’t get the wickets. That’s what the selectors want to see – wickets and runs. But for me I felt like I bowled pretty well, pretty consistent. My pace was up.”So it’s just getting those wickets on board. If I bowled like I did in Sri Lanka in South Africa, I think I’m going to get wickets over there. As a bowling unit I think we bowled well as a group. That was the most exciting thing for me.”The bowling ensemble in Sri Lanka was one of Australia’s most united and committed for some time, as Ryan Harris, Trent Copeland, Peter Siddle, Shane Watson, Nathan Lyon and Johnson all bowled in strong partnerships to keep the hosts in check. The collective strength of the group has created pressure for places, as Siddle and the yet-to-be-capped James Pattinson also impressed.”There’s always been pressure to perform and there’s always guys there pushing the envelope to get the spot to be in the team,” Johnson said. “So there’s always that pressure there but you try not to think about it too much and just go out there and try to perform the best you can, and hopefully that’s good enough.”Mickey Arthur, Johnson’s coach at Western Australia and also a contender for the national position vacated by Tim Nielsen, said he was somewhat surprised to see the left-armer facing so much external scrutiny to retain his place.”Mitchell Johnson is a spearhead, he’s your match-winner, and your strike bowler is going to be a little bit erratic at times,” Arthur said. “That’s what you live with, but you balance your attack around that. Mitchell is a proven match winner and he’ll do it time and time again for Australia in the future.”He really likes bowling in South Africa and he’s got a very good record in South Africa. He’s been training really well with us. Technically he looks in a really good place at the moment, so I’m expecting a big series from him.”Johnson was left out of the Twenty20 portion of the South African tour, and having elected not to play in the Big Bash League has few avenues by which to get back. If he ever does return to the T20 international squad, Johnson said he would work on bowling a more venomous yorker.”You want to play as much cricket for your country as you can and I’m always wanting to play as much cricket as I can for my country and that’s my main goal. Obviously there’s a little bit of disappointment there,” Johnson said. “I feel like I’ve played Twenty20 well. My record shows that.”But obviously I probably didn’t perform as well as I could have in Sri Lanka in those Twenty20 games. I’m disappointed but it gives me something to work towards. I look at that last series and I didn’t really get the wickets. In the first game I got belted around a little bit, which can happen in Twenty20 cricket.”I think one big thing that lets me down a little bit is I haven’t got a really good yorker. So if I can just work on those little things, I think that can get me back in the game.”The reason why [I’m not playing in the BBL] is to focus on the summer ahead. We’ve got a big Test summer coming up against NZ first and then India, who have just lost their No.2 spot. They’ll be trying to get back up to the No.1 position. That’s what we’re trying to do, we’re trying to work our way up in the Test ranks.”

The brothers McCullum ensured that New Zealand sealed their two-match Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe with a convincing win in the second game

The Report by Firdose Moonda17-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrendon McCullum set up New Zealand’s big total with a rapid half-century•AFP

The brothers McCullum ensured that New Zealand sealed their two-match Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe with a convincing win in the second game. Brendon scored 64 off 37 balls and Nathan took three key wickets with his offspin to wreck Zimbabwe’s hope of evening the series. The hosts were more competitive than they had been in the previous game; after an ordinary performance in the field they batted bravely, but the target was too tall for them.Chris Mpofu started well, with five, precise, back-of-a-length deliveries but indiscipline crept in when his sixth delivery was a legside wide that ended up costing five runs. Kyle Jarvis also had an impressive initial burst with his first ball resulting in a confident appeal for lbw against McCullum. The ball looked destined for middle and leg stump but the umpire did not think so. McCullum was on two at the time and went on to capitalise on his good fortune. The floodgates opened when he clipped Jarvis over mid-wicket for six in the same over.Another six, off an Mpofu slower ball took New Zealand to 28 without loss when rain interrupted play after three overs. The 20-minute break shaved four overs off the game, reducing it to 18 overs a side. It should also have given Zimbabwe’s bowlers enough time to rethink their strategies, but it served only to motivate McCullum and Guptill, who returned to the crease breathing fire.The better they batted, the worse Zimbabwe bowled. Jarvis could not find the right length; Prosper Utseya tossed it up too much and even Ray Price was guilty of dropping it too short. McCullum took a particular liking to Utseya, smacking him for two sixes in the ninth over to get to the brink of his half-century. His fifty came up, surprisingly, with a single off Elton Chigumbura.Just when it looked as though the rest of New Zealand’s batsmen might not get a chance to occupy the crease, Zimbabwe got a breakthrough with the first ball of Jarvis’ third over. McCullum tried the paddle scoop and missed.But the dismissal was a false dawn. Even as it sent one powerhitter back to the dressing room, it brought another one out. Jesse Ryder played carefully for the first few balls he was at the crease and then pulled Utseya over square leg for four to announce his arrival. With McCullum gone, Guptill took over and reached a fifty of his own, without taking many risks. He pummelled Mpofu in the 16th over, before falling to a big shot off Jarvis.Although the stats do not reflect it, Zimbabwe’s bowlers produced a number of good deliveries. Unfortunately for them, they also sent down at least one hittable delivery in every over. Mpofu finally got it right in the final over, when he bowled full and straight and was able to squeeze the New Zealand batsmen, but it was too little, too late.Zimbabwe will take heart from their chase, which started in promising fashion, was quickly pegged back with early two wickets but then took flight again. With moisture still hanging in the air, Hamilton Masakadza was undone by seam movement from Doug Bracewell and was caught behind. In the next over, Brendan Taylor was bowled by a slower ball from Aldridge.Instead of allowing the innings to unravel, Chamu Chibhabha and Elton Chigumbura took the fight to New Zealand. Chibhabha, a man known for his ability to hit the ball a long way in domestic cricket, tucked into debutant Graeme Aldridge, who bowled too full at first and too short later. Chigumbura dealt with changes in length and speed in the same fashion, by taking dispatching the deliveries over the boundary and Chibhabha did well to attack the spinners. Their third-wicket partnership of 57 threatened to give Zimbabwe an unlikely chance at victory but Nathan McCullum put an end to any thoughts of a win.He got rid of Chigumbura after reacting speedily to take a good return catch and dismissed Charles Coventry for a duck in the same fashion. Chibhabha continued to fight hard but, after reaching his highest score in this format, was undone by the two brothers: he was stumped by Brendon off Nathan. With Chibhabha gone, Zimbabwe’s chase fizzled out and came to an ignominious end with four wickets falling in four balls in the 17th over, two of them run-outs.

Suranga Lakmal, the Sri Lanka fast bowler, has been ruled out of the Test series in South Africa because of an ankle injury

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2011Suranga Lakmal, the Sri Lanka fast bowler, has been ruled out of the Test series in South Africa because of an ankle injury. He joins Shaminda Eranga, Nuwan Kulasekara and Dhammika Prasad, who were not considered for the tour, on the list of injured fast bowlers.Sri Lanka’s chairman of selectors, Duleep Mendis, said a replacement was not named for Lakmal. “We are hopeful that by the time the first Test ends at Centurion on December 19, one of the inured fast bowlers would be fit to fly to South Africa and replace Lakmal,” Mendis said.Sri Lanka play three Tests in South Africa, where they have never won a Test, followed by a five-ODI series. The first Test starts at SuperSport Park on December 15.Sri Lanka squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva (wk), Lahiru Thirimanne, Dimuth Karunaratne, Chanaka Welegedara, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep, Thisara Perera, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Thilan Samaraweera.

The Asian Cricket Council has confirmed that the Asia Cup 2012 will go ahead as scheduled, all but ruling out the possibility of Pakistan touring India

Umar Farooq15-Dec-2011The Asian Cricket Council has confirmed that the Asia Cup 2012 will go ahead as scheduled, from March 12 to 22 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, all but ruling out the possibility of Pakistan touring India as outlined in the Future Tours Programme. The decision was taken at the ACC’s meeting in Singapore earlier this week; it also endorsed, pending a fuller discussion and satisfaction with security and other issues, a proposal by Pakistan to host the 2014 tournament.”It was agreed that the Asia Cup 2012 would go ahead on the proposed dates,” Subhan Ahmed, the PCB chief operating officer, told ESPNcricinfo. “There was discussion of the ACC postponing the Asia Cup if both India and Pakistan agreed to play their series within that slot but that idea has faded out for many reasons.”The PCB was hoping at the meeting to get some confirmation from the BCCI on the resumption of bilateral series between India and Pakistan but Ahmed said that the BCCI representative, Ratnakar Shetty, was unable to give any assurance in the absence of N Srinivasan, the president of the Indian board.”Pakistan-India series was not on the agenda at the ACC meeting but we were looking forward to Srinivasan coming across to discuss it,” Ahmed said. “We had an ideal platform here to talk with our India counterpart but he [Srinivasan] didn’t attend the meeting.”He [Shetty] was not in a position to talk on it. So I don’t think India and Pakistan could play each other in a full series next year but they will meet in the Asia Cup.”Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, was also in Singapore. He was due to travel to Chennai in the first week of December to talk to Srinavasan on the mutual cricketing interests of both countries but the sudden illness of Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, also the PCB’s chief patron, forced him to postpone of the visit.At the ACC meeting, Pakistan also proposed hosting the 2014 Asia Cup. Ahmed said that the other ACC members showed their support and understood how essential the hosting of the event was for the country but asked the PCB to satisfy them on security concerns. “Our request has been endorsed and was not turned down. They want a full discussion on the precautionary steps that the PCB will take to ensure security. We obviously assured them the best and the case has been deferred until next meeting.”

The Adelaide Test is a dead rubber but there are plenty of sub-plots to keep an eye on as Australia aim for a 4-0 whitewash

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale23-Jan-2012

Match facts

January 24-28, Adelaide Oval
Start time 1030 (0000 GMT)Virat Kohli has shown there is batting talent in India beyond the established seniors•AFP

Big Picture

Four weeks ago, the first Test started in Melbourne on Boxing Day amid great expectations of a closely-fought tour and India’s best chance of pulling off a series win in Australia. Now after three Tests, none of which have lasted five days, the best India can hope for is a consolation victory in Adelaide. They will do so without their captain MS Dhoni, who was suspended after India’s loss in Perth due to slow over rates, and under the guidance of the stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag. At least Adelaide Oval is a venue that will give the Indians hope: in their past two Tests there, they have managed a win and a draw.As is so often the case in dead rubbers these days, there are plenty of sub-plots to keep things interesting. There is the question of whether leadership will bring out the best in Sehwag, who has had a disappointing tour with only one half-century. There is debate around the future of VVS Laxman, the most vulnerable of the seniors in India’s middle order. And there’s the ongoing hundredth hundred saga.For Australia, Michael Hussey has announced his intentions to play on for the next Test tour, but the last Test of the home summer is traditionally a time for farewells, so for Australia there is the chance, albeit slim, that Ricky Ponting or Brad Haddin might call it quits after the game. There is the matter of whether Shaun Marsh or Ed Cowan can score a big hundred to secure their place whenever Shane Watson returns.There are enough reasons to watch this Test over the next five days. Now let’s just hope the match lasts that long.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Australia WWWLW
India LLLDW

Players to watch …

Last time the Adelaide Oval hosted a Test match, Nathan Lyon‘s main job was to cut the grass. Now his brief is to bowl offbreaks to some of the world’s best handlers of spin. It has been a remarkable rise for Lyon, who joined the groundstaff in Adelaide last summer before being plucked out of net sessions by the state coach Darren Berry to play in the South Australia side. The rest is history. Expect plenty of support for Lyon in his first Test at his adopted home venue.Virat Kohli has shown that there is batting talent in India beyond the seemingly untouchable seniors. He is yet to make that big hundred that will really launch his Test career but his 44 and 75 at the WACA were impressive contributions as wickets tumbled through India’s two innings. He should enjoy batting at the Adelaide Oval, where he can make himself a permanent member of the Test side with a maiden century.

Team news

The offspinner Lyon will return, and the only question for Australia was which of the fast men would make way. The answer came on the day before the match: the left-armer Mitchell Starc was squeezed out and was named 12th man. Starc was impressive in Perth but still falls below Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Ryan Harris in the pecking order.Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Ed Cowan, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Nathan Lyon.Dhoni’s suspension will mean the inclusion of the backup wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, while R Ashwin should return after the ill-fated experiment of using Vinay Kumar as a fourth seamer at the WACA. A progressive selection panel would consider giving Rohit Sharma a chance at the expense of the out-of-form Laxman, but India’s selectors are expected to stick with the proven Laxman.India (possible) 1 Virender Sehwag (capt), 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh Yadav.

Pitch and conditions

The Adelaide Oval pitch is usually viewed as a batsman’s paradise, but often there is something in it for the fast bowlers early on the first day. “It will always produce spin later on as the game goes,” the curator Damien Hough said. “Normally there will be a little bit of inconsistent bounce on days four and five, so I wouldn’t expect anything else.”The forecast for the match is hot and sunny for all five days, with temperatures expected to hit 37C on the first day.

Stats and trivia

• Virender Sehwag has captained India in three previous Tests, for two victories and a draw
• Ricky Ponting needs 81 runs to reach 13,000 in Test cricket
• Should Australia win, it will be their first series whitewash against India since 1999-2000
• Australia have won just one of the past four Adelaide Tests

Quotes

“Anything less than a 4-0 defeat of this powerful Indian team will be a disappointment to all of us.”