Michael Clarke led Australia well poised for a win

Australia set Sri Lanka a target of 379 to win the first test of the three-test series here on an overcast day. With the wicket aiding bowlers, it will require all of the Sri Lankan top order to perform to eke out an unlikely draw.

Australia finished its second innings a 210, with some significant contributions from the lower order batsmen

Herath picks five

The Australian lower order put up a stiff resistance in a pitch that aided spinners. The last four wickets added over 80 runs as the Aussies went past the 200 mark with ease. Herath kept working hard from one end, unafraid to pitch it up and was rewarded aptly. This was his fifth five wickets haul in tests and he more than justified the faith that the selectors placed in him.

Left hand batsman Usman Khawaja was a changed man in the second innings of the test. He was too tentative in the first, but in the second, partnered Ryan Harris and kept the score board ticking. He looked comfortable till such time he was trapped in front by Welegedara.

The Sri Lankan plan

When Sri Lanka took the field on Day 3 of the first test against Australia here, they had a plan: restrict the Australian second innings to 140; make sure that the experienced, frontline batsmen stay long enough and don’t gift wickets to Nathan Lyon, and encourage Paranavitana to score a shade better.

“If he [Paranavitana] can manage about 40 runs for every 100 balls or so he faces, we would be better off. There would also be no pressure on batsmen at the other end,” said Rumesh Ratnayake, Sri Lanka’s coach. The other problem was Anjelo Mathews. “He has hit a [rough] patch,” conceded the coach. But the team had some ideas for him too. One was to promote him up the order and see what he could manage. The idea was to relieve him of additional pressure because of wickets falling at one end.

Ratnayake said that there was a lot of post-match review that went on following the manner in which the Sri Lankan batsmen got out in the first innings. Not one batsmen managed a 50, and the last seven wickets did not manage to add even 20 runs. “We have been talking and I hope we make amends in the second innings,” he said.

Asked if the team management erred in not picking another spinner, Ratnayake was frank: We were unable to manage with seven batsmen in the first innings. So, no, there was no such talk.

Play resumes

On Day 3, play began at 12-10 pm owing to overnight and morning rains. The sky is still overcast, but there are two more days left in the match for Australia to push for a win. For now, Sri Lanka has the unenviable task of keeping out the relentlessly probing Australian bowlers for two and a half days.

Scoreboard:

Australia (1st innings): 273 all out

Sri Lanka Batting (1st innings): T.M.Dilshan c Ponting b Copeland 4, T.Paranavitana lbw Watson 29, K.Sangakkara c Clarke b Lyon 10, M.Jayawardene (run out) 11, T.Samaraweera lbw Watson 26, P.Jayawardene lbw Watson 0, A. Mathews b Lyon 5, S.Randiv c Ponting b Lyon 9, R.Herath c Johnson b Lyon 0, S.Lakmal (not out) 2, C.Welegedara c and b Lyon 1. Extras (lb-4, nb-3, w-1) 8. Total: 105 all out in 50 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-24, 3-44, 4-87, 5-87, 6-88, 7-100, 8-100, 9-103

Australia Bowling (1st innings): Ryan Harris 8-5-6-0, Copeland 12-3-24-1, Johnson 9-1-26-0, Lyon 15-3-34-5, Watson 6-1-11-3

Australia (2nd innings): S.Watson c Samaraweera b Welegedara 0, P.Hughes lbw Dilshan 28, R.Ponting c Herath b Lakmal 4, M.Clarke c P.Jayawardene b Herath 60, M.Hussey T. Paranavitana b R.Herath 15, U.Khawaja lbw C.Welegedara 26, B.Haddin c P.Jayawardene b Herath 0, M.Johnson c P.Jayawardene b Herath 8, R. Harris c & b Herath 23, T.Copeland (not out) 23, N.Lyon c Samaraweera b Dilshan 13 Extras (b-4, lb-4, nb-2) 10. Total: 210 all out in 59.2 overs

Fall of Wickets: 1-0, 2-5, 3-61, 4-110, 5-110, 6-112, 7-130, 8-170, 9-178

Sri Lanka Bowling (2nd innings): C.Welegedara 6-3-13-2, Lakmal 8-3-23-1, R.Herath 23-3-79-5, S.Randiv 14-3-61-0, T.M.Dilshan 8.2-1-26-2.

Shane Warne in T-20 Big Bash ???

In what could be a big boost for the star-bereft Twenty20 Big Bash, former Australian spin legend Shane Warne has said he might consider playing in the inaugural edition of the league.

"There is probably a possibility that I might play. I might be involved at some level in T20, but I'm sort of mulling over all those things at the moment with some business opportunities and some sponsorships as well," said Warne.

The spin wizard, who was last seen in action for Rajasthan Royals during the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year, said he was "weighing up" offers from three teams in the revamped Big Bash but stressed that his primary concern were his children.

"Being divorced with the children and juggling schedules it's difficult to give timewise," revealed Warne.

The 41-year-old is currently engaged with some young Australian spinners, teaching them the tricks of the trade.

"I'm passionate about Australian cricket ... If I'm asked, I'm glad to help," the bowler toldThe Age.

Warne also insisted that he has "not changed one bit" and attributed his new look to a combination of diet and exercise.

A magazine had earlier claimed that the tweaker had a plastic surgery to get a leaner look.

Warne asked: "What is my crime? I'm happy, fitter, and happier than at any stage in my life."

He said he had dropped a few kilos and currently weighs 78kg. He revealed that his normal playing weight was about 84kg, but he swelled to 92kg while recovering from injuries.

Warne said though he loved his country he had been harassed when living here.

The veteran complained about the "disappointing reports" in Australia of his weight loss and his relationship with British actress and model Liz Hurley, bemoaning "incorrect reporting" and doctoring of pictures.

Warne also negated he was about to marry Hurley saying, "When and if it comes, I'll let you know."

Ponting, Clarke hungry for Test runs eyes series against Sri Lanka

GALLE: Australia’s star batsmen Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke are hoping to shrug off their recent poor run in Test cricket when they take on Sri Lanka from Wednesday.


The tourists will rely heavily on the batting exploits of captain Clarke and his predecessor Ponting to win the three-Test series, Australia’s first since the embarrassing 3-1 Ashes defeat to England in January.


But the pair have struggled in the five-day format for almost two years and will be keen to make amends when the first Test opens at the Galle International Stadium.


Ponting, 36, is the third highest run-getter in Test cricket behind the Indian duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, with 12,363 runs from 152 matches and 39 centuries.


But he has not scored a Test hundred in his last 20 innings since making 209 against Pakistan at Hobart in January 2010.


Clarke, 30, has fared no better, going without a hundred in 10 matches after hitting 168 against New Zealand in Wellington in March last year.


But a turnaround in the fortunes of the tourists’ captain and elder statesman may be just an innings away.


Ponting, who made way for Clarke as captain after the World Cup in April, scored 53 and 90 not out during the preceding one-day series against the Sri Lankans which Australia won 3-2.
Clarke also chipped in with two half-centuries in the series and then scored 104 in a three-day practice match in Colombo last week ahead of the first Test.


Clarke, who begins his reign as a full-time Australian Test captain on Wednesday, said he was keen to score Test runs again.


“My form has not been as good as I would like in Test cricket,” Clarke told the travelling Australian media.


“For me, Test cricket is the ultimate, the pinnacle, and I want to be at my best.
“I could not have asked for better preparation, but now I have got to do it when it counts.  It’s important to make runs every time I bat but I would prefer a hundred in the first Test.”
Clarke, regarded as one of the finest players of spin bowling, has scored 4,742 runs in 69 Tests at an average of 46.49 with 14 centuries.


Ponting admitted Australia’s Ashes loss when he was captain had affected his batting, and now looked forward to doing well as the team’s frontline batsman.


“The team’s performance had started to play on my mind and it probably dragged my batting down a little bit,” Ponting told Cricinfo in a recent interview.
“I have got to score runs that are going to be enough to win for Australia, and that’s my main objective for the immediate future.”

Sri Lankan Lions struggled against Lyon,all out for 105

Looks like the search for a successor to Shane Warne is over. Debutant Nathan Lyon picked up five wickets on a track that was beginning to look like a bowler’s paradise, on the way to bowling out Sri Lanka for a paltry 105 on the second day of the first Test of the series here. The last four wickets added 5 runs.

After picking up a wicket off his first ball in Test cricket, Lyon ran through the Sri Lankan lower order. He had snared 5 batsmen for 34 runs: before this run, he had managed 14 wickets in first-class cricket, in a short career.

Debutant Copeland too had an eventful debut. Taking off from where he left off with the bat yesterday, Copeland joined a rare league of bowlers who got a wicket in the first over on debut. T.M.Dilshan cracked his first ball in international cricket through the covers for a boundary, as if to say ‘Hello and welcome to the Big Boys Club.’ Copeland next ball was wide outside the off-stump, inviting a repeat. Dilshan could not resist the offer, went with the stroke, only to see Ponting at short covers pull off a stunner of a catch to his right. At the box reserved for invitees, next to the Press Box, Copeland’s mother could not hold back her tears, as she savoured the moment.

For someone really tall, Copeland, who bowls medium pace does not appear fearsome. That possibly is the reason why Dilshan went after Copeland. But Copeland while slow, bowls a menacing line and length and waits – as long as it takes – for the batsman to make a mistake. One Australian journalist recalled an instance in a local match where Copeland bowled from one end through the morning session, and then, came back again in the afternoon to continue bowling. “He can bowl 20-25 overs on the trot. He keeps the ball up, extracts movement and bounce and waits for the batsman to make a mistake,” he said. Sounds quite like Praveen Kumar, but Copeland is clearly at an advantage because of his height.

Nathan Lyon, introduced in the 16th over, had a date with history: he became the 14th bowler in test history to take a wicket off his first ball in a test. Lyon, nearly as tall as England’s Swann, drew Sangakkara out with a looping, dipping delivery that took Sangakkara’s bat’s edge as it moved away after pitching. Clarke held on to a sharp chance at slip.

Lyon and Copeland conspired yet again for another big wicket. Paranavitana gently pushed Lyon towards backward point and set off for a single. Copeland, the fielder, was on the ball in a flash and threw it to wicket keeper Haddin. Mahela was still to get to the batting end when Haddin broke the stumps.

Lyon came back later in the afternoon to bowl a tentative Anjelo Mathews around his legs. Ranganna Herath, not known for his batting exploits, picked deep mid-wicket on the slog sweep. The dream debut was not over: Randiv’s full-blooded drive off Lyon was caught at short mid-on by Ponting. Lyon then invited Welegedara to drive uppishly and dived football goal-keeper style to his left to hold on to a catch high over his head. Lyon had arrived.

Clearly, the bowling was being led by a pack of green horns, even as the only bowler with over 100 tests to his credit, M.Johnson, preferred to come in first change. That looked a little more than strange.

Shane Watson contributed too. He was introduced into the attack for the first time in the afternoon. In his second over, he managed prodigious reverse swing and sent back both Samaraweera and P.Jayawardene with almost identical deliveries, coming in. Both batsmen were trapped in front. Then Watson managed to trap leg before the hermit-like Paranavitana, who was steady and solid in defence, and had scored just 29 off 115 balls. At that point, the challenge had effectively ended.

SCOREBOARD:

Australia (1st innings): 273 all out

Sri Lanka Batting (1st innings): T.M.Dilshan c Ponting b Copeland 4, T.Paranavitana lbw Watson 29, K.Sangakkara c Clarke b Lyon 10, M.Jayawardene (run out) 11, T.Samaraweera lbw Watson 26, P.Jayawardene lbw Watson 0, A. Mathews b Lyon 5, S.Randiv c Ponting b Lyon 9, R.Herath c Johnson b Lyon 0, S.Lakmal (not out) 2, C.Welegedara c and b Lyon 1. Extras 8. Total: 105 in 50 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-24, 3-44, 4-87, 5-87, 6-88, 7-100, 8-100, 9-103

Australia Bowling (1st innings): Ryan Harris 8-5-6-0, Copeland 12-3-24-1, Johnson 9-1-26-0, Lyon 15-3-34-5, Watson 6-1-11-3

Big Bash teams have shown their interest in signing Afridi for this year's Twenty20 tournament.

Despite PCB revoking Shahid Afridi's NOC barring him from playing in the foreign leagues, Cricket Australia officials have expressed their desire to rope in the flamboyant all-rounder for this year's Big Bash Twenty20 tournament.

After the former Pakistan captain announced his retirement from international cricket following his stand-off with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, several of the eight teams featuring in the Big Bash have shown their interest in signing Afridi, who had a successful stint in the event two years ago.

A number of other states also indicated their interest in explosive West Indian opener Chris Gayle, whose ongoing tussle with the country's cricket board following a radio interview resulted in his omission from the one-off T20 international and first two ODIs against India starting on Saturday.

Stuart Clark, general manager of the Sydney Sixers, said he would be interested in speaking to these players for his side, which is based at the SCG.

"I hadn't thought about Afridi until I heard on the radio that he had quit," Clark was quoted as saying by The Australian.

"We would be interested depending on what he wants. If he wants to come here, I am willing to talk to him," Clark added.

Afridi suffered a setback on Wednesday when English county Hampshire said it would not be playing the all-rounder in their Twenty20 league after the PCB revoked the requisite NOC.

The NOC's were issued to Afridi to play for Hampshire and in the inaugural Sri Lankan Premier League next month.

Afridi, one of the most explosive batsmen in the world, played for South Australia in the Big Bash two years ago and impressed all.

"He was excellent and all the reports were that he was brilliant among the team," Clark said.

Afridi's fall-out with the PCB enables him to play in the Sri Lankan, English county and Australian Twenty20 competitions.

The eight sides in this season's Big Bash are likely to be allowed four contracted Australian players and four internationals, but with only two of the latter in the team at any time.

Afridi, Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga are all understood to be on the minds of the eight city-based teams. All have played in the Big Bash before.

Big Bash sides qualify for the lucrative Twenty20 Champions League.

(PTI)

Off-spinner Hauritz,Former captain Ricky Ponting make injury progress

Sydney, May 26, (AFP) - Spinners Nathan Hauritz and Steve Smith are making good progress following surgery ahead of Australia's Test tour of Sri Lanka in August-September, team physio Alex Kountouris said on Thursday.

Off-spinner Hauritz missed the World Cup earlier this year with a shoulder injury while leg-spinner Smith had surgery on his left ankle to remove a bone spur.

Kountouris said both bowlers were doing well in their rehabilitation ahead of the series in Sri Lanka, where conditions are expected to favour spin.

"His (Hauritz's) rehabilitation is progressing as expected and he will hopefully resume bowling over the next month," Kountouris said.

"His availability for the Sri Lankan tour will be based on how he further progresses over the next month."

Former captain Ricky Ponting is also expected to be fit despite having surgery to remove screws inserted to stabilise a fractured finger in January. "His preparation for the tour of Sri Lanka is not expected to be affected by this minor procedure," Kountouris said.

Test wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and back-up gloveman Tim Paine are both on track to be available for selection despite finger fractures, Kountouris said. "Brad Haddin is making very good recovery from a small fracture to the middle finger of his left hand," he said.

"He has returned to his fitness training and will commence batting and wicketkeeping next month as part of his preparation for the Sri Lankan tour."

Kountouris said Paine had undergone surgery to remove a plate and screws inserted following a finger break in November, and he was expected to lead Australia A on its tour of Zimbabwe in June.

Warne_to_retire_from_IPL_at_the_end_of_current_season

Rajasthan Royals captain and Australian spin legend Shane Warne will retire from the Indian Premier League at the end of his team’s campaign this season.

The 41—year—old inspirational player, who guided the underdog team to the inaugural IPL trophy in 2008, will step down from the team, but has promised to stay with the franchise in an advisory role.

“Yes this is my last year playing IPL — please come down and support RR last 2 home games v chennai & Bangalore ! We need your help !!!!,” the legendary spinner, who quit Tests in 2007 and bid adieu to ODIs in 2005, wrote on his Twitter page.

The IPL was only cricket event he played after leaving the international stage.

”...next year who knows what or if I will be involved in IPL re mentor/coaching— am focused on doing best for RR,” he added.

The leg—spinner, who captured 708 Test and 293 ODI wickets during his international career, will be at the helm for another four IPL matches for Rajasthan unless they make the finals.

“To my teammates (all) can I say (is) thanks for your support — you guys have made it fun/enjoyable to play. To my fans — THANKYOU — your the best!,” he said.

The controversial bowler, who has also been hitting the headlines for his on and off romance with British actress Elizabeth Hurley, has been the standout performer for Rajasthan picking up 56 wickets in 52 matches at an average of 24.66.

Rajasthan are currently fourth in the points table.

“We have a spirit in the squad similar to IPL 1 — it would be great to leave on a high — I’m proud of the way we have developed young players,” Warne wrote.

Stuart Clark to choose between being chief executive of Sydney Big Bash franchise and his playing career

Bright Blue ... university-educated Clark is considering his options.

Former Test seamer Stuart Clark has to make the biggest decision of his sporting life, choosing between an offer to be chief executive of the new Sydney Big Bash franchise and his playing career.

The Australian is reporting Clark, another former Test player John Dyson and two others were interviewed for the job, but that pair are the favoured candidates.

NSW will have two sides in the revamped competition with the "Sixers" based at the SCG and the "Thunder" at Homebush.

Dyson, who is the chairman of selectors and talent manager at NSW, is in line for the job with the Thunder and Clark the Sixers.

The Blues, like Victoria, have to create two new team structures within the state organisation to run the sides, with everything duplicated and at an arm's length from the main state side whose chief executive is Dave Gilbert.

Clark, who has a commerce degree and is doing a post-graduate law degree, is believed to be leaning towards playing another season with the Blues.

He was NSW captain in the absence of Simon Katich and is passionate about state cricket and a critic of its current state.

Clark did not want to discuss the new job on Sunday but confirmed he had been interviewed.

"I want to play another year of cricket and I want to go to the Champions League," Clark said. "Who knows what I might do after cricket? I must say I like the idea of just bagging blokes in the paper for a living, so that might be my future."

While the team names and colours have all been revealed, not a lot of detail for the competition which begins in December has been finalised.

The Melbourne Stars, which are based at the MCG, and Renegades, to be based at Docklands, have announced their chief executives will be Clint Cooper and Geoff Miles respectively.

Darren Lehmann has accepted a job as coach of the Brisbane Heat.

The Big Bash arrangements have been slowed by a number of issues, including private investment in the major sides. NSW and Victoria are angry that the competition wants to take a large slice of the revenue it raises to put back into the common pool.

The other major problem is deciding which players will play with which sides and that cannot be decided until the stalled contract negotiations between the Australian Cricketers Association and Cricket Australia is solved.

ACA boss Paul Marsh said the inability of the CA board, which is hamstrung by the parochial and competing interests of the states who control the board, to bed down the various elements of the Big Bash is an "indictment on the governance of cricket in Australia".

The Indian cricket board revealed on Saturday that it would not allow any of its players from the senior or domestic levels to compete in the Big Bash.

While the country's Test schedule clashed with the tournament, it was hoped some specialist Twenty20 players could be lured across, but the BCCI insists its domestic tournament takes precedence.

The Big Bash sides will operate under a salary cap and will not have the money to lure top-name players like the Indian Premier League but has got good mileage in its original format from West Indians such as Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard.

While Clark faces a number of options next year, The Australian has reported that Australia's fielding coach Mike Young does not.

The former baseballer has worked with the Test team since 2000 but has not had his contract renewed. He is one of the first to lose his position under a review being conducted into the state of Australian cricket.