England is best country to host World Cup: Capello

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 20 (ANI): Coach Fabio Capello has said that England is the best country to host the World Cup.

The England boss joined the 4,000 people who have backed The Sun’s campaign to save the country’s 2018 bid.

“This is the best country where you can play football. The transport, the fans, the stadiums, the hotels, everything is good. This is why I think it will be fine for England,” he said.

The paper launched Save Our Bid this week, calling on FIFA to ignore former bid chairman Lord Triesman’s corruption claims.

Boxing ace Ricky Hatton joined that campaign by signing the e-petition, saying: “England is where the beautiful game began. Bring it on.”

Oasis star Noel Gallagher, 42, speaking at the launch of Umbro’s I’m in campaign, said: “England should win. It’s a travesty we have only had it once.”

Other celebs backing The Sun’s bid include former England captain Alan Shearer, TV host Adrian Chiles and Fatboy Slim star Norman Cook. (ANI)

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CA rubbishes ‘match fixing’ rumours behind Australia’s remarkable Sydney win against Pak

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, May 20 (ANI): Cricket Australia has denied reports that the Sydney Test against Pakistan was fixed, and said that Ricky Ponting-led side pulled off a remarkable victory through its own hard work.

The Pakistan team management believes that their players fixed this year’s Sydney Test as well as a Twenty20 match; an inquiry into the failed Australia tour revealed.

A Cricket Australia spokesman said he had heard nothing about match-fixing allegations. “Our view on that match has always been that we won it from behind through our own efforts,” The Australian quoted him, as saying.

Pakistan had a 206-run lead after the first innings and reached 1-50 in their last innings, chasing a victory total of 175, but Pakistan lost its last nine wickets for 89 runs and with it the match by 36 runs.

The performance of Pakistani wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal attracted most attention in the match. He dropped four catches in the third innings and missed a run out chance against Shane Watson when the opener was on 49. Watson went on to make 97.

More importantly, he dropped Mike Hussey three times as the middle-order batsman compiled 134. Hussey and tailender Peter Siddle went on to make a 123-run partnership and they were also aided by a defensive field setting.

Senior Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam and manager Aaqib Javed told a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) inquiry earlier this year they thought bookmakers might have been involved in the events that saw the game lost.

“I have reservations over the way he missed the run out. When I saw it I couldn’t believe it. How he could miss such a big run out? I can’t say 100 per cent that there is match-fixing, but I have my strong suspicions,” he said.

Intikhab said: “Kamran is a match-winner but every time we came close to a victory, he played a bad shot and got out. I was flabbergasted when Kamran missed the run out. I have serious doubts about him. I have heard stories about match-fixing.”

Aaqib also had suspicions about the performance of fast bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan in a Twenty20 match in Australia, saying, “We have heard things about him as well.” (ANI)

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Twenty20′s serious business now: Clarke

May 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

When Australia’s Michael Clarke took part in the first ever international Twenty20 match, against New Zealand five years ago, the emphasis was very much on “fun”.

New Zealand players dressed up in retro kit, with some sporting hairstyles more associated with the 1960s and 70s.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting made 98 as his side won by 44 runs in Auckland but questioned whether the “novelty” of Twenty20 would endure.

The emphasis in Australian cricket remained very much on Tests and one-day internationals so that the side’s defeat by outsiders Zimbabwe at the inaugural World Twenty20 in Cape Town was brushed aside by Australian fans.

Australia was well beaten by India in the 2007 semi-final and at last year’s edition in England, it was knocked out in three days after defeats by the West Indies and Sri Lanka.

But that exit was overshadowed by the context of an Ashes tour and when Ponting announced he was retiring from international Twenty20, there was a general sense of relief the star batsman would still be available to play ‘proper’ cricket for his country.

However, with Clarke now at the helm in this format, Australia began its 2010 World Twenty20 campaign with a 34-run win over defending champions Pakistan on Sunday.

And top order batsman Clarke said the advent of the tournament had led to a change in Australian attitudes towards Twenty20.

“I think now there’s a world championship, that plays a big part,” he said.

“When I played in my first Twenty20 match, we played against New Zealand and they were growing moustaches, not cutting their hair and wearing 1960s outfits to play the games.

“Everybody is taking the game a lot more seriously now and in tournaments like this, you want to do well. We haven’t done as well as we would like but we’ve started well.”

Australia completes its group program against Bangladesh in Barbados on Wednesday and, having seen his team lose to Zimbabwe in a warm-up fixture, Clarke was adamant he would not be underestimating Bangladesh.

“It just shows in this form of the game, you have to be at your best, it doesn’t matter who you are playing against,” he said.

“We certainly won’t be taking Bangladesh lightly. They’ve got some wonderful Twenty20 players who are very aggressive with the bat.”

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Mentored by Oz cricket academy, Raina could haunt Clarke”s men

May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Sydney, May 4 (ANI): Trained at the Australian Cricket Academy six years ago, Indian middle-order batsman Suresh Raina could well haunt Michael Clarke’s men when they face each other in the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies.

””It was a very good experience for me, I spent time at the Allan Border Academy, Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden spoke to me, gave me advice, I learned a lot from them. It definitely improved my cricket,”” Raina told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hayden continues to mentor Raina at IPL side Chennai Super Kings, who won this year”s tournament on the back of Raina”s man-of-the-match half-century in the final.

Many have tipped Raina, 23, to be the leading run scorer in this year’s World Twenty20 championship.

However, Michael Hussey, another of Raina”s IPL teammates, will be advising his national compatriots on the potential weaknesses of the left-hander.

””I”ve had a little bit to do with him and watched him in the IPL, so certainly we”ll have to have a few good plans in place because he is playing very well,”” Hussey said.

””He definitely targets a couple of areas so we might have to bowl away from those areas, or try and make sure we”ve got those covered with fielders,” he added.

Hussey believes Raina would have flourished at international level without the assistance of the Australian system.

””I still think he would have come through regardless, he”s got that much talent and ability that whether he was at the academy or not he would”ve come through and played at this level,”” Hussey said. (ANI)

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‘Born again’ Clarke thanks Oz team for letting him deal with Bingle

April 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

St. Lucia, Apr 29(ANI): Australian Twenty20 skipper Michael Clarke has thanked his fellow team-mates giving him the space to deal with his personal issues with fiancée Lara Bingle.

Clarke had flown back home to Sydney during the New Zealand tour to end the well-publicized relationship.

After a week of leave he had returned to Wellington to prepare for the first Test, where Clarke typically responded to his critics with a century.

“A month or so ago I went home from New Zealand and had to deal with things I had to, that people go through in their personal life. It was great having the support of not only my friends and family back home, but of my teammates, Ricky [Ponting] has been fantastic and very supportive,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Clarke, as saying.

“As was Tim Nielsen, to allow me to go back home, have the freedom to make that choice and then welcome me back with open arms into the squad. They allowed me to prepare as well as I could for that Test match against New Zealand and to score runs was very rewarding,” he added.

The 29-year-old further said that he left the New Zealand tour not only for himself, but for the team as well.

“I thought I wasn’t in a position to perform the way I need to perform at the highest level, so with the help and support of family, friends, and my teammates, I made that decision,” Clarke said.

When asked if he felt his next relationship would be splashed across the front pages of newspapers, Clarke said: “I hope not, but I think it will be, and I’ll continue to try to keep as much of my personal life personal. If somebody gets a photo of me, they’re going to write about me, I have to accept that.” (ANI)

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‘Relaxed’ Clarke insists he is focused on Australian T20 WC campaign

April 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

St. Lucia, Apr 29(ANI): Australian Twenty20 skipper Michael Clarke insists that despite the pressure of being on his first major tour as captain, he is relaxed and focused on the Twenty20 World Cup, which starts tomorrow.

“It’s a great feeling. I’m in a really good position now, I feel really comfortable and I’m happy to be on this tour,” Fox News quoted Clarke, as saying.

“I’m so focused leading up to our first game against Pakistan (on Sunday) that I probably haven’t let me being captain hit me,” he said.

Talking about the constant media scrutiny since his decision to leave last month’s New Zealand tour to sort out his personal issues, Clarke said he has been learning from captain Ricky Ponting about the grind of media commitments a leader must handle.

“We’re not silly. We know the media plays a huge part in what we do on and off the field. It is definitely about give and take. We know you guys have got a job to do and we do respect that,” Clarke said.

“There’s plenty of times you don’t want to talk to the media, but it’s part of what we do,” he added. (ANI)

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Drew Barrymore praises Ricky Martin for ”coming out of the closet”

April 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, April 20 (ANI): Actress Drew Barrymore has praised gay singer Ricky Martin for his courage to come out in public and accept his sexuality.

She insisted that it”d help other celebrities to ”come out.”

The singer/songwriter Martin accepted homosexuality publicly last month, saying he”s a “proud homosexual”.

The ”Wedding Singer” actress complimented Martin for his bold step as she thinks his act will encourage other gay stars feel accepted, reports The Daily Star.

“My lofty goal in this world is that we can live in a world that doesn”t judge each other, I just want people to be able to live their lives that are true to them. I celebrate what (Ricky) is doing because we have to create a world for each other where acceptance is first and foremost,” she told Access Hollywood. (ANI)

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Ricky Martin revives racy nude concert video

April 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New York, Apr 17 (ANI): Ricky Martin recently posted a link on Twitter to a 2007 video he shot to promote his “Black & White” concert tour.

Titled “My Skin Talks,” the 2-minute video shows Martin baring all.

The singer can be seen laying in different positions on a white-lit floor while a minimalist soundtrack plays in the background, reports The New York Daily News.

Then in the Dago Gonzales-directed video, several well-placed digital tattoos begin to emerge on Martin’s skin, which include Spanish phrases such as “Find yourself,” “Forgive” and “Change your life.”

Over 800,000 of Martin”s followers on Twitter received a link to the racy video.

Martin, whose surrogate twin boys turn 2 in August, recently came out on his official Web site, saying, “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.” (ANI)

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Stuart accuses Sharks of giving in

April 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Cronulla coach Ricky Stuart accused some of his players of “throwing the towel in” as Manly ran away with a comprehensive 40-12 NRL win at Brookvale Oval.

Although the Sharks have won just one match from their past 15 starts, Stuart has always previously praised his team for their work ethic and commitment.

Cronulla held the upper hand for the first quarter of the match before crumbling to concede five first half tries – much to Stuart’s disappointment – as the Sea Eagles cruised to an easy win.

Stuart was keen to stress that Manly’s individual class was what won out in the end but he also criticised the attitude of some players when the going got tough.

“We had inexperience, Manly at Manly is very, very tough and we spoke about that,” Stuart said.

“The only negative for my side is that… I think some parts of our playing team threw the white towel in at the 20-minute mark and that’s the main disappointing part for me as a coach.

“There were parts of the game where we threw the towel in, and it got too hard for us… it’s uncharacteristic for this team.

“[We were] outclassed, outplayed. I haven’t got much more of an excuse than that. [Manly] showed some brilliant pieces of footy.”

Foran in Test frame

Sea Eagles five-eighth Kieran Foran put his hand up for selection for New Zealand against Australia next month with a masterful display, while centre Jamie Lyon further enhanced his New South Wales Origin prospects with two tries in a personal 20-point haul.

Winger Michael Robertson also nabbed a double for Manly, which has stabilised its season nicely after losing its opening two matches.

Foran and half-back Trent Hodkinson have adjusted well to the playmaking duties left vacant by departed skipper Matt Orford, and the Auckland-born emerging star appears certain to partner Benji Marshall in the halves for the Kiwis after getting a taste of international football in last year’s Four Nations series.

“I was pretty happy with my performance today, I’m more confident each week as a ball player and leading this team out,” Foran said.

“Nothing explains pulling on that black and white jersey in front of your family and for your country, but to be honest I haven’t really thought too much about it, I’ve just been trying to get things right here week to week.”

With the game evenly poised at 12-6 to Manly with seven minutes to go in the first half, Foran took control setting up two of the Sea Eagles’ three quick-fire tries before the break.

Opposite number Trent Barrett was more willing to predict Foran’s future as a Test footballer.

“He’s a good player, a good ball runner and a strong kid. He’ll be an international for the New Zealand side I think for a long time, very soon,” Barrett said.

A satisfied Manly coach Des Hasler also heaped praise on his leading man.

“He was taken away on the tour last year just to experience it… so you’d think he’d certainly come under Test selection,” Hasler said.

Manly has one worry ahead of next week’s big clash against Melbourne, with Brent Kite put on report for a high tackle on Blake Ferguson in the second half.

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Jaques goes county to crack Test side

April 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Former Australian opener Phil Jaques is targeting an international recall after joining up with English county side Worcestershire for a third spell.

Jaques, who has played 11 Tests and scored a century in his last innings for Australia against the West Indies in Bridgetown in 2008, has been overlooked since then and has also been struck down with back problems.

But the 30-year-old came through the domestic season with New South Wales with no injury setbacks and is hoping a successful spell with Worcestershire will help him earn a recall to the international fold.

“Last summer back home, I played every game for New South Wales. I was the only one to do that which was a good achievement in itself in a long season,” he told Press Association Sport.

“It is very exciting to be back fit and hopefully I can really pile on the runs over here this year.

“I wouldn’t be playing cricket if I didn’t have ambitions and my ambition is to get back to the highest level you can achieve – and that is playing for Australia.

“That is why I am here. That is why I chose here rather than the Indian Premier League.

“I wanted to play county cricket, get some volume of games in and hopefully get back into the Australian side. That is the goal ahead.”

He admitted it was a “weird feeling” to notch a ton in his last Test and then not play again.

“But I know I can play at that level and right now it is about knocking on the door hard enough and getting the runs on the board I need and waiting for an opportunity,” he said.

“The guys who have been playing, Simon Katich and Shane Watson, have been outstanding.

“They have probably been our best two batsmen over the last 12 months along with Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting.

“It is very hard to get back into that team. But I’ve got to go back to the drawing board, score lots of runs ands wait for an opportunity.

“I will be looking to get back to converting decent scores into hundreds and I hope I can do that at Worcestershire. The body has held up. I have had no injury problems and the back is getting stronger by the day.”

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Summer sweep confirms Aussies ready for Ashes triumph: Ponting

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Hamilton, Apr 1(ANI): Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has said that the series win over New Zealand had erased all the doubts raised about his side ahead of the Ashes series later this year.

Australia wrapped up the series 2-0 by defeating New Zealand in the Hamilton Test by 176 runs.

The visitors had won the first Test in Wellington by ten wickets, and having defeated West Indies 2-0 and Pakistan 3-0 on home soil, the Australian team finished the summer season unbeaten in Tests.

“There were probably some question marks over our Test cricket before the summer started; being a little bit inconsistent through the Ashes series and probably playing well enough at different times to have won that series, but not being able to nail the crucial moments,” Fox Sports quoted Ponting, as saying.

“If anything this year we”ve probably gone the other way, when there”s been big moments we really have stood up and nailed them. We can”t be any better placed at the moment, we have two Tests to play in England (against Pakistan) then it”s straight into it,” he added.

Ponting further said that the current group of players are going strong at the moment, and they can “put up a very good show in the Ashes.”

“There will be no excuses from where we are sitting. We”ve done everything we would have liked for us to have achieved throughout the summer. There”s never been a game that has dragged on. Hopefully, we have a full complement of players to pick from going into November,” Ponting said.

“Generally when you get a bit tired teams can fade away, but I think if anything we”ve got better and stronger as a group as the year has gone on. I”m really happy with what we”ve achieved,” he added. (ANI)

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Johnson keen for Ashes glory

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

After the second Ashes Test of 2009, Mitchell Johnson was nervous about holding his place in the side for the next match.

The left-armer’s modest haul of 3 for 200 at Lord’s helped hand Australia a painful 115-run defeat in what turned out to be a losing series in which Johnson claimed 20 wickets at 32.55.

Fast-forward to Johnson’s sensational summer haul of 41 wickets at 25.90 and it gives an indication of his return to form and his enthusiasm for taking on England again in 2010-11.

Johnson has absolutely destroyed the Kiwis on Australia’s tour of New Zealand, taking 12 wickets at 18.33 in the one-dayers and 12 at 23.08 in the Tests, with Australia winning both series.

“I am pretty excited. It has been a great summer for the whole team,” Johnson said in Hamilton on Wednesday after demolishing the Black Caps with match figures of 10 for 132.

“We are trying really to improve ourselves. We go to England to play Pakistan (in July).

“We will be looking to do well there, keep improving and obviously the Ashes we will be looking forward to playing them in Australia and hopefully get them back.

“I have definitely improved. During that Ashes series I had a bad one in Lord’s and probably wasn’t as consistent throughout that whole series.

“I think I have learnt from that. I have proved it since then and I think I have definitely stepped up a little bit.”

Perth-based Johnson is hoping to go to the beach and visit some Margaret River wineries in the next few weeks ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies which starts on April 30.

Skipper Ricky Ponting says Johnson has “shouldered a massive workload” over the past two-and-a-half years.

“He probably bowled as quick in the second innings of this game as he has right through that period of time,” Ponting said.

“This tour in particular has probably been the best and most consistent I’ve seen him bowl.

“What we have to do is make sure we don’t run him into the ground.”

Ponting praised Johnson’s ability to overcome taunts from Kiwi fans after being fined for a head-clash with Scott Styris in the one-day series.

“Mitch is a pretty fiery competitor and the leader of our attack. He wants to stand up and be that aggressive sort of bowler,” Ponting said.

“He might have even got a few fans back with the way he bowled here.

“They learn a lot about themselves when they are confronted with those issues and having 15,000-20,000 crowd on their back. He has come through that really well.”

- AAP

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Crown drops two murder charges

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Murder charges against an 18-year-old Tasmanian man and a 17-year-old youth have been dropped.

Adam Ricky Scott and the youth were accused of murdering a New South Wales tourist earlier this year.

Scott faced the Supreme Court in Launceston along with two co-accused who are both 17 and cannot be named.

The trio were accused of murdering a Coffs Harbour tourist, 27-year-old Simon Dingle, at the Deloraine Caravan Park in January.

Prosecutor John Ransom told the court today the Crown would not indict Scott or one of the 17 year olds on the murder charge but they both face one count each of aggravated robbery and have pleaded not guilty.

They were released on bail.

The other 17 year old from Tasmania’s central north who is charged with the murder has previously pleaded not guilty and has been remanded in custody.

All three will face court again in about two weeks.

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Vettori blames poor first innings for Hamilton Test defeat

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Hamilton, Mar 31(ANI): New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori has said that a poor batting display in the first innings was a crucial factor in his side’s 176-run defeat against Australia in the second Test in Hamilton on Wednesday.

“It’s similar to the first test, we played really well at times, but to beat Australia it has to be over five days and there were pockets where we let ourselves down,” Stuff.co.nz quoted Vettori, as saying.

“Not supporting Ross Taylor in the first innings with the bat was probably the crucial bit because we bowled so well in the first innings to give ourselves a chance, but we needed to have a sizeable lead to put pressure back on Australia,” he added.

Taylor had scored the fastest century in New Zealand history with a brilliant 138, but it had failed to provide any momentum to the home side, as they only managed a 33-run first-innings lead after being bowled out for 264 in reply to Australia’s first innings of 231.

Meanwhile, Australian skipper Ricky Ponting paid tribute to left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, who took 12 wickets at 18.33 in the one-day series and 12 wickets at 23.08 in the two tests.

“He has come a long way, this tour in particular has been the best and most consistent I”ve seen him bowl. There were probably some question marks over our test cricket before the summer started, having been a bit inconsistent during the Ashes series and not nailing the crucial moments,” Ponting said.

“If anything we’ve gone the other way when there”s been big moments we really have stood up and nailed them. When we”ve had opposition teams down we”ve stayed on top,” he added. (ANI)

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Johnson strikes as Kiwis get to work

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Zealand has to obliterate the record books if it is to pull off an unlikely win in the second Test after Australia left the home side with plenty of work to do on day four.

The Aussies, resuming on 4 for 333, blasted 178 in the morning session and declared during the lunch break at 8 for 511 – setting the Black Caps a monstrous victory target of 479.

At tea, New Zealand had pared that run chase down to 390 runs but lost the wickets of opening pair BJ Watling and Tim McIntosh to reach 2 for 89.

The highest fourth-innings total in Hamilton is the 6 for 344 Sri Lanka compiled to force a draw in 1991, a record that would take some beating.

And with a further 135 runs required on top of that, Australian captain Ricky Ponting will feel confident of wrapping up a 2-0 series win and completing an unbeaten Test summer.

Mitchell Johnson started in fine fettle with the wickets of both batsmen, first rocking McIntosh’s stumps before coaxing a neat edge from Watling through to Brad Haddin.

That gave Australia’s foremost paceman 2 for 18 from six overs, backing up from his impressive first-innings spell that yielded 4 for 59.

More to follow shortly.

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Roach to join Gayle in WA

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

West Indies skipper Chris Gayle will return to Western Australia next summer to suit up for the Warriors’ Twenty20 campaign and will bring lightning quick Kemar Roach along for the ride.

Gayle was restricted to just two games for WA last summer after picking up a side strain in his first outing for the Warriors.

But the 30-year-old still made a sizeable impact, hammering 40 off just 16 balls against South Australia.

Roach has quickly become of the most exciting pacemen in the Test arena.

The 21-year-old has taken 20 wickets in five Tests and injured Australian captain Ricky Ponting last summer with a fearsome bouncer.

“In Chris Gayle we have secured one of the game’s best Twenty20 players for the second successive season, while Kemar Roach is one of the most promising young pacemen in world cricket,” WACA chief executive Graeme Wood said.

“It has been extremely disappointing to miss out on the opportunity to compete at the first two Champions League Twenty20 tournaments.

“We strongly believe that with Chris and Kemar added to the exciting local talent in the Warriors’ squad, we can give ourselves a great chance of qualifying for the 2011 edition.”

- AAP

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Ricky Martin confirms he’s gay

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Singer Ricky Martin has confirmed rumours that he is gay.

In a statement on his website, Martin announced: “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.”

Speculation about the 38-year-old Latino singer’s sexuality has raged for years, but he has never directly addressed it and was usually seen with beautiful female partners.

The singer – a father of twins boys from a surrogate mother – says writing his memoirs helped him realise that he had to be free with himself and not keep any more secrets.

“Today is my day, this is my time and this is my moment,” he said.

Martin’s autobiography is yet to be published.

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Ricky Martin admits he’s gay

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar 30 (ANI): Putting an end to years of speculation over his sexuality, pop star Ricky Martin has admitted that he is gay.

Martin, who fathered two children with a surrogate mother two years ago, stated on his website that he felt “blessed to be who he was”, reports The BBC.

Martin said: “Today I have accepted my homosexuality as a gift that gives me life.”

The Puerto Rican star said his decision to write his memoirs had helped him to free “things that were too heavy to keep inside”. (ANI)

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Ton-up Katich becalms Aussies

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Cool-headed batting from Simon Katich and Michael Hussey extended Australia’s lead to 209 runs on the third day of the second Test in Hamilton.

New Zealand snared two wickets in the morning session but was frustrated by the conservative and gritty union of the left-handed pair, who are both playing in their 50th Test, after lunch.

Katich (103 not out) brought up his 10th Test century shortly before tea with Hussey unbeaten on 66 in an unbroken stand of 151 that took Australia to 2 for 242 at the break.

The pair added 101 in the middle session and continued to frustrate a Black Caps attack which had thus far only enjoyed success through Tim Southee (2 for 57).

Slow and steady was the clear brief for the men in the middle, who had a combined score of 169 from 419 balls.

Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting were the casualties in the morning session as Australia improved its overnight score of 35 to 2 for 141 at the lunch interval.

Southee took the two wickets and BJ Watling provided the reliable hands in both dismissals, with his reflex effort at short leg to out Ponting for 6 quite brilliant.

Earlier Watling wheeled around to gulp down a lofted shot from Watson at deep mid-wicket, sending the opener back to the pavilion for 65.

Southee had 2 for 35 giving him six wickets so far in the match after his impressive first-innings figures of 4 for 61.

On day two New Zealand was bowled out for 264 for a lead of just 33 over Australia’s first innings of 231, but that advantage had evaporated by stumps.

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Australia makes steady progress

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Australia lost two key wickets but established a lead of 108 runs over New Zealand on day three of the second Test at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting were the casualties as Australia improved its overnight score of 35 to 2 for 141 at the lunch interval.

Stodgy batting from left-handers Simon Katich and Michael Hussey held out the Black Caps until the break, but runs were tight in their unbroken partnership of 50.

Katich was unbeaten on 44 from 175 balls with Hussey not out 21 from 52.

Tim Southee took the two wickets in the morning session and BJ Watling provided the reliable hands in both dismissals, with his reflex effort at short leg to out Ponting for 6 quite brilliant.

Earlier Watling wheeled around to gulp down a lofted shot from Watson at deep mid-wicket, sending the opener back to the pavilion for 65.

Southee had 2 for 35 giving him six wickets so far in the match after his impressive first-innings figures of 4 for 61.

On day two New Zealand was bowled out for 264 for a lead of just 33 over Australia’s first innings of 231, but that advantage had evaporated by stumps.

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