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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

In a game that seesawed, with the initiative being more often given up by Pakistan than wrested away by Australia, Pakistan managed to hold their nerve and win by three wickets. A spirited showing with the ball ensured that Australia were kept down to 265 at the WACA, and even that total seemed unlikely until Pakistan fluffed chances and Michael Clarke carved out a crucial 75 at No. 6. But Pakistan raised their game when it mattered and scored the runs needed for victory.Pakistan’s win means that the identity of Australia’s opponents in the finals of this VB Series are still not known. It will all boil down to the last qualifying game, between Pakistan and West Indies on Tuesday, also at the WACA.Pakistan began their chase badly, and were reduced to 3 for 49 after their young batsmen succumbed to quality fast bowling on a Perth pitch which, as usual, possessed true bounce and pace. Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath were quickly into their stride, sprinkling bouncers judiciously into some careful line-and-length bowling.But Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana kept cool and weathered the storm. They didn’t worry about scoring quickly, opting for a safety-first attitude instead. Inzamam’s experience and class came through as he defended watchfully, ran sparingly, and made the loose balls count with crunching drives off the back foot. With a cheeky Youhana for company he put on 74 for the fourth wicket, in 16 overs.Brad Hogg then got Australia back into the game, dismissing Inzamam against the run of play. Inzamam swept at a full one, and missed. The straighter delivery thudded into the pad and a furious Inzamam (29) stomped off, lbw. Two runs later Shoaib Malik attempted to steal a single from Andrew Symonds, but he charged in and kicked the ball onto the stumps with a deft left instep that Thierry Henry would have been proud of, and Malik was run out (5 for 125).Youhana kept up the good work, nudging, nurdling and poking his way along, just occasionally launching into the big hit, like the time he danced down the pitch and deposited Hogg into the stands at long-off. But he couldn’t finish the job either, falling for 72 – 90 balls, seven fours, one six – when he tried to chip Symonds over mid-off and failed (6 for 170).Then came a manic period of batting that made the Inzamam-Youhana crawl worthwhile. Shahid Afridi walked out with the mien of a heavyweight boxer about to thump an opponent, and clouted the ball a long way. Symonds watched a perfectly good delivery disappear back over his head for six of the best over long-off; another was creamed over long-on. But just when it seemed that Afridi was playing the crucial knock, his blood boiled over and he top-edged Symonds to Lee at square leg. Afridi had taken 30 off just 13 balls, and brought the required run rate under six an over.Then Razzaq, who had stepped his game up a gear or two with the ball earlier, played a gem with the bat. Aggressive, fearless, but sensible, he rattled up an unbeaten 63 off 61 balls, and shepherded Pakistan to victory with 16 balls to spare. That, alongside his 4 for 53 earlier in the day, was enough to secure the Man of the Match award.Razzaq may even have had a five-for had it not been for Pakistan’s butter-fingered catching. The disease crept in early on, when Adam Gilchrist was dropped twice before he was finally bowled by Razzaq for 47. And Pakistan certainly were not helped by their decision to leave out Kamran Akmal and play Younis Khan as a makeshift keeper, supposedly in the interests of team balance.

With Matthew Hayden already back in the hutch, his run of poor form prolonged, Pakistan were in with a good chance of restricting Australia. Plenty of batsmen got starts – Ponting made 29, Damien Martyn 24 and Symonds 23 – but wickets fell at regular intervals, and Australia were in a spot of bother at 6 for 156.But then came an innings of character from the man leading the runscoring charts in this tournament. Michael Clarke came in at No. 6, charged with playing another substantial innings, and he made the difference between a healthy total and a good one. The steady fall of wickets at the other end only made Clarke assume more responsibility. He initially restrained his wide range of strokes, but accelerated once set. He opened his shoulders and unfurled the big shots that had been kept under lock and key, reaching 50 with a vicious pulled six off Razzaq, who ended up with 4 for 53. Clarke was also dropped, in the outfield by Salman Butt, and this time it did cost Pakistan. Clarke rounded off the Australian innings with ruthless efficiency, reaching 75 at a run a ball, with five fours and a six, and lifted Australia to 265. On most days you would back Australia to defend that score. But on the day they were on the receiving end of a Pakistan special.

Points table
ScorecardAn heroic back-to-the-wall hundred by Yuvraj Singh took North Zone to a four-wicket victory and helped them win the Deodhar Trophy at Valsad. Singh walked out to bat with North at 16 for 3, chasing 213 for victory. Yuvraj proceeded to play an astonishing innings, hitting 124 off only 120, and struck 16 fours and three sixes. Ajay Jadeja was the next highest scorer, with 34. Both put on 122 together after Sankinani Vishnuvardhan removed Dinesh Mongia to have North reeling at 38 for 4.Earlier, Venugopal Rao struck 59 to set up a launch pad of sorts for South Zone, but Harbhajan Singh dismissed him and two others after him to ensure that not many were scored in the final overs.
ScorecardCentral Zone – led by Suresh Raina’s 84 – won a close game in Jamnagar, beating West Zone by 12 runs. Central put on 282 after a consistent display by most of the batsmen, and then reduced West to 167 for 7 before defiance by the late order took them close to the total.Jai P Yadav (56 off 61) added 73 with Raina, who fell at the start of the slog. Raina’s knock consumed 81 balls, and he struck five fours and two sixes to help his team clinch third place in the five-team Deodhar Trophy.

Glamorgan, the National League Division One champions, are hopeful of persuading Simon Jones to sign a new three-year contract before the start of the season to secure his long-term future at the club. During England’s tour of Zimbabwe Jones had expressed his frustration about the lack of one-day opportunities coming his way, but it now seems he is ready to stay at Sophia Gardens.Jones, who holds a 12-month central contract and is therefore paid by England and not Glamorgan, is currently on holiday in Singapore, but it is hoped the deal will be finalised once he returns. Mike Fatkin, Glamorgan’s chief executive told the : “I’ve spoken to Simon and everything seems positive which is very encouraging. It’s just a question of talking to him when he returns and, hopefully, it will all be sorted by the beginning of the season.”Jones, 26, took 15 wickets during the Test series against South Africa at 26.66 and formed an important part of the attack as Steve Harmison’s form dipped. However, he is currently on the fringe of the one-day team after playing two games against Zimbabwe, and being on standby while Harmison recovered from injury at the start of the one-day series against South Africa.He felt his progress in limited-overs cricket was being hindered by not being a regular in Glamorgan’s one-day team. In five years he as only played 12 one-day matches, bowling 90 overs and claiming seven wickets at over 71 apiece – although that lack of games can be partly attributed to his central contract. In his early days he was a tearaway quick bowler, but since returning from the knee injury he sustained at Brisbane in November 2002 he has added more control to compensate for a reduction in pace.

Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka’s spin wizard and previously one of the island’s most eligible bachelors, has married his Chennai-based bride, Madhi Ramamurthy, during a colourful traditional South Indian wedding ceremony on Monday morning.Muralitharan, his entire family and close friends decamped to Chennai early last week to organise four days of celebrations that started with an informal party on Saturday night thrown by his brother Shashi and will end with a grand reception on Tuesday night for a 1000 relatives and friends.But the formal and traditional marriage to 24-year-old Madhi, a business administration postgraduate and the director of a leading private heart hospital founded by her late father, was the centrepiece attraction, a glittering five-hour celebration of the couple’s wedlock that started at 8am and was still going strong when guests were invited for lunch.The 2000 invitees – plus a couple of Sri Lanka politicians who invited themselves, and a swarming mass of photographers and television cameramen, a few of whom had to be restrained as they searched desperately for the best angles – crowded into the Rani Meyyammai Hall in central Chennai to watch Murali and Madhi, sat cross-legged under a lavishly decorated wedding pavilion, tie the matrimonial knot.Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas were the only current cricketers to attend – the others could only arrive in time for the reception – and were joined by a string of ex-internationals, including Arjuna Ranatunga, a close friend, and Sidath Wettimuny. Current coach John Dyson flew in from Colombo and ex-coach Dav Whatmore jetted in from Dhaka.The invitees gazed onto a wedding platform, helped by giant television screens that showed the guests entering and the ceremony on stage unfold, as a temple priest, B Kumar from the Lord Muruga Temple, lead the couple through an intricate South Indian Hindu ceremony that included 27 separate stages, from symbolic rituals to blessings and prayers to the gods.

Murali, dressed handsomely in a shining white long kurta and trousers, started by washing his parents’ feet. Prayers to the Goddess of Wealth were next, followed by the cooking of rice and the tying of a sacred Mangalyam thread around Madhi’s neck, the confirmation of their new bond that guests celebrated by showering the couple with yellow rice and flower petals.After exchanging garlands the couple paid homage to a sacred fire and then welcomed all the guests onto the stage to accept their congratulations and best wishes. With the official photographer working overtime, snapping each exchange, handshake and hug, the process lasted two hours before the final series of rituals.Muralitharan had started to think about marriage after his shoulder injury in August. Bored and frustrated by his absence from the team, he started to look towards the future and possible marriage, a changing mindset that delighted his mother Lakshmi, who had for some time been keeping an eye out for a suitable bride.The actual engagement happened swiftly after a visit to Chennai in November set-up by S Chandrasekhar, a Tamil movie star and close friend of the Ramamurthy family, and Murali’s mother, who was a Chandrasekar-movie fanatic. Murali and Madhi warmed to each other immediately and the horoscopes matched well. By the time Murali returned to Colombo a few days later both families had happily agreed to the marriage.Although her father had been a cricket obsessive, Madhi was clueless about the game and her future groom’s cricketing exploits when they first met. But she is a furious reader, with a particular love for psychology, and soon swatted up on the game, pouring through literature and logging onto cricket websites.The pair will now return to Sri Lanka to start their new life together. Fortunately, for Sri Lanka cricket fans, Madhi has promised Murali all the support he needs to continue his career for the foreseeable future. A year ago Murali had talked about the 2007 World Cup as his retirement date but now he’s keen to play well beyond. Madhi hopes to continue working with the hospital, now run by her mother, from Sri Lanka.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

In 75 minutes of unbelievable power-hitting, Shahid Afridi swung his bat, the match and the series as Pakistan romped home to a comprehensive five-wicket win at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Having restricted India to 249, thanks mainly to Naved-ul-Hasan’s incisive opening spell, Pakistan rode on Afridi’s 45-ball hundred, the second-fastest in one-day internationals, and made a fighting total look paltry.In the searing afternoon heat of Kanpur, Afridi’s carnage brought a downpour of sixes. The arc between midwicket and long-on received maximum attention as bowlers were left gasping, fielders hopeless and spectators expectant. Within three overs the total rocketed from nine to 55, the stunning part being that there was a maiden in between. Good-length balls outside off were swatted to the roof of the midwicket stand, anything full disappeared, anything short was pummelled and anything wide savaged. It couldn’t be termed slogging, it wasn’t calculated, and it certainly wasn’t a fluke. Forces of nature are probably impossible to explain.He plundered bowlers before they could settle in. Lakshmipathy Balaji’s second over, and Anil Kumble’s and Dinesh Mongia’s first were pillaged for more than 20 runs each. His howitzered swat over midwicket off Zaheer Khan in the eighth over was his 200th six in one-dayers, and he blasted his way to a fifty off 20 balls. Salman Butt was reduced to a blur at the other end and bowlers’ line and length were rendered redundant. Afridi charged to his hundred in 45 balls, equalling Brian Lara’s record for the second-fastest hundred. If his 102 at Nairobi in 1997 – still the fastest in ODIs – had introduced him to the world, his 102 today just reaffirmed that he remains one of the most destructive elements in the cricket world.Ironically, he was out while attempting his first defensive stroke, as the ball ricocheted off his boot onto the stumps, but by then he had all but ensured that Pakistan took an unassailable lead in the series. While he was at the crease, Pakistan were rattling along at 9.14 runs an over and Shoaib Malik and the rest were left with the smoothest of cruises to complete. Mohammad Kaif pulled off a sensational catch to dismiss Yousuf Youhana, diving full length while running back from cover, but it was never going to influence the final outcome.

Earlier in the day Naved had played a big part in keeping India to below 250 as he left the top order in tatters in the initial stages. Sachin Tendulkar hardly got the width or length to break free in his first nine deliveries before he was undone by a beauty: unsure of whether to play forward or back he pushed at one that left him a shade and took the edge en route to Kamran Akmal behind the stumps. Virender Sehwag was confronted with a delivery of similar venom but opposite seam movement, and he played outside the line and stood transfixed as the ball crashed into his off stump.And just when the situation demanded a cautious approach, Mahendra Singh Dhoni swished and swung, connected a few, fended a few and finally edged one to Younis Khan at second slip. India were 26 for 3 after seven overs with the bowlers on top, the pitch showing signs of variable bounce and all the batsmen struggling against controlled swing and cut. It was almost as if India were playing a Test abroad and, almost inevitably, Dravid entered his battling zone. Soon defence turned to single hunting, gliding and efficiently flicking in the gaps, and gradually it turned into controlled acceleration, with the odd boundary poached and ones turned into twos. When he finally fell, in the last over of the innings, he had taken India from a perilous position to a competitive total. In short, he had completed a job that he has mastered doing day after day in Test cricket over the last four years.Kaif proved to be the perfect foil. Where the rest of the batsmen struggled against a combination of superb bowling and a semi-dodgy pitch, Kaif appeared completely at home on the ground where he learnt his cricket. Flicking effortlessly, finding the narrowest of gaps in the field, forever bubbling and zooming between the wickets, he went about rebuilding with minimum risk. With the field spread, both he and Dravid upped the rate at the 35-over mark and rattled off 59 runs in the 7.2 overs before Kaif fell.

At that stage, scoring at eight runs an over appeared to be a fantastic display. A few hours later, Afridi started rollicking along at more than 20 an over while producing an innings that even superlative adjectives would fail to describe.How they were out
IndiaSachin Tendulkar c Akmal b Naved 1 (10 for 1)
Received a beauty that caught him on the crease and induced the edgeVirender Sehwag b Naved 1 (11 for 2)
Missed a good-length ball that cut in a shadeMahendra Singh Dhoni c Younis b Naved 11 (26 for 3)
Attempted a cover-drive off the back foot. Younis Khan pouched the edge at second slip with a good low catchYuvraj Singh b Razzaq 18 (59 for 4)
Tried to drive one through the covers but the ball kept a bit low and resulted in him playing onMohammad Kaif c sub (Hafeez) b Razzaq 78 (194 for 5)
Pulled straight to the fielder at short midwicketRahul Dravid run out (Iftikhar/Akmal) 86 (248 for 6)
Escaped being run-out at one end when Naved dropped the ball as he was trying to direct it to the stumps, but was well short of his crease at the other as he attempted to run on the overthrowPakistanShahid Afridi b Harbhajan 102 (194 for 5)
Played a defensive stroke but the ball deflected off his boot onto the stumpsSalman Butt b Kumble 21 (135 for 2)
Missed a straight one while going for a sweepYousuf Youhana c Kaif b Kumble 24 (193 for 3)
Didn’t time an inside-out stroke and Kaif pulled off a sensational diving catch while running back from coverShoaib Malik c Zaheer b Tendulkar 41 (216 for 4)
Holed out to long-offYounis Khan b Sehwag 24 (248 for 5)
Was bowled while trying a hoick over midwicket

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

West Indies enjoyed a magnificent day at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, and had Pakistan running for cover, on the verge of defeat, at the end of the third day. Shivnarine Chanderpaul added an unbeaten 153 to his first-innings 92, and powered West Indies to 371, setting Pakistan an unlikely 573 for victory. From 1 for 2, to ending on 113 for 4 at stumps, forget the unlikeliest of victories, Pakistan were struggling just to find a way to eke out a draw. They still trail by 460.If Bennett King, the West Indies coach, had written a script for his team to follow, it could not have been too different from the way things panned out. Bang on the stroke of tea they were bowled out, with more runs on the board than needed, and an inexperienced Pakistani batting line-up to bowl at. Fidel Edwards, hero of the first innings, combined with a diving Chris Gayle at second slip to strike, sending back Salman Butt before a run was scored.But there was a spot of bother for West Indies as Edwards limped off the field in the middle of an over, with his right hamstring acting up again. Reon King stepped up to complete the over, and incredibly, another wicket fell. Yasir Hameed drove to cover, and sauntered down the pitch; the sprightly Younis Khan had already reached the other end, and Chanderpaul’s lob hit the stumps at the bowler’s end, sending Younis packing (2 for 1).Darren Powell then stepped up to the plate, and produced a fine delivery – pitching on off and leaving the righthander – to tempt Hameed into edging to the wicketkeeper (16 for 3). West Indies’ bowlers then lost their stride momentarily, spraying the ball a touch and struggling with no-balls, before a shower brought much-needed relief to Pakistan with the score on 46 for 3. It proved to be a false dawn. When the players came back out, after a break of close to an hour, Bazid Khan was trapped lbw by the second ball delivered. Corey Colleymore got a ball to jag back in off the seam, and Bazid was palpably lbw (47 for 4). Asim Kamal (38 not out) and Shahid Afridi (32 not out) then controlled the damage, taking Pakistan safely to stumps at 113 for 4.But it was West Indies determined showing with the bat that set things up in the first place. Chanderpaul and Wavell Hinds shepherded the game through a dull first session, but did virtually everything they could to consolidate on the gains of the first two days. Barring the fact that Hinds (52) was bowled going for a big heave at the end of the session, West Indies barely put a foot wrong. They went from an overnight 168 for 4 to 271 for 5. Hinds had played his part, and though never dominating the bowling, bucked down well to stitch together a 134-run stand with Chanderpaul.The fact that West Indies suffered a mini-collapse thereafter is of little relevance, other than that Pakistan’s tired bowlers had something to show in the wickets column. Chanderpaul had already made the most of a situation tailormade for him. There was no hurry to score quickly, the pitch was not doing an awful lot, and bad balls were by no means in short supply. Why, for a change a West Indian tail-ender even stuck around – Edwards made a career-best 20 and shared in a 46-run partnership. In his uniquely unorthodox manner Chanderpaul biffed his way to 153, hitting 10 fours and 2 sixes in the process.Pakistan’s bowlers had suffered heavily. Rana Naved-ul-Hassan toiled hard, but only troubled batsmen when the ball was new and swung. Kaneria had been distinctly below par while Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq did not quite have the firepower to make a dent in the top-order. They could do nothing to stop Chanderpaul, and West Indies, as they marched relentlessly towards victory.

How they were out

Pakistan
Salman Butt c Gayle b Edwards 0 (0 for 1)
Brilliantly caught at second slip after flashing at a full oneYounis Khan run out (Chanderpaul) 0 (1 for 2)
Left stranded attempting a quick one to coverYasir Hameed c Browne b Powell 11 (16 for 3)
Tickled one that was shaping awayBazid Khan lbw b Colleymore 23 (47 for 4)
Caught on the crease by one that nipped back inWest Indies
Devon Smith c Akmal b Razzaq 10 (59 for 1)
Tried to cut a ball too close and too shortRamnaresh Sarwan c Akmal b Afridi 1 (64 for 2)
Bottom edge attempting to cutChris Gayle c Kamal b Kaneria 50 (65 for 3)
Bat-pad catch to short legBrian Lara st Akmal b Afridi 48 (137 for 4)
Just failed to slide his back foot over the line after missing attempted driveWavell Hinds b Kaneria 52 (271 for 5)
Attempted a big shot to a legbreak that spun in sharplyCourtney Browne c Akmal b Afridi 1 (274 for 6)
Outside-edged a sharp legbreakDaren Powell b Naved-ul-Hasan 5 (307 for 7)
Lost his off stump to a peach that swung away lateFidel Edwards c Akmal b Shabbir 20 (353 for 7)
Feathered a short one angled into his bodyReon King b Shabbir 5 (367 for 9)
Missed a straight yorkerCorey Collymore lbw b Razzaq 0 (371 for 10)
Deceived by a slower ball that was full and on middle stump

Division One

Matt Prior struck his first century of the season as Sussex made up for lost time against Nottinghamshire. Prior overcame the loss of Richard Montgomerie without a run on the board to hit 18 fours in his 134-ball innings. He was the only Sussex batsmen to kick on with their innings as Michael Yardy and Murray Goodwin both fell in the thirties. A spell of three for 12 left Sussex 195 for 5, but Chris Adams steadied the innings with an unbeaten 35.Scott Newman made a 109-ball century but Graham Thorpe fell for 10 during an intriguing day between Surrey and Hampshire at The Rose Bowl. Newman played a typically aggressive innings, but the much-anticipated contest between Thorpe and Shane Warne was a brief affair. Thorpe fell for 10 to Chris Tremlett who was the pick of the Hampshire attack with 3 for 81. After an opening stand of 100 Surrey lost wickets steadily and it required a half-century from Dominic Thornely to take them past 300.Glamorgan made an impressive start against Middlesex as they searched for their first Championship win of the season. David Hemp was at his expansive best, taking only 73 balls to reach 89 by the close. Daniel Cherry played the anchor role with his second Championship half-century – and added 99 for the first wicket with Matthew Elliott (59) before he was run out.Warwickshire struggled to 178 for 8 on the opening day against an impressive Kent attack at Edgbaston. For a full report see Match of the Day.

Division Two

Darren Maddy fell for 49 so honours ended even on a shortened first day between Leicestershire and Worcestershire. Maddy was out just before the close, bowled by Ray Price, having batted for nearly three hours. Darren Robinson was run out after making a positive 31 while Nadeem Malik dismissed John Maunders.Lancashire’s bowlers took charge against Derbyshire after an opening stand of 56 had proved a false dawn. Glen Chapple was the pick of the attack, his three wickets including Michael di Venuto, whose dismissal began the Derbyshire slump. James Anderson was not at his best but the rest of the Lancashire bowlers chipped in. Luke Sutton provided the only substantial resistance from the middle-order, and remains unbeaten on 29.Durham, once again, showed their battling qualities, recovering from 9 for 2 and 73 for 4. Nathan Astle responded to the early wickets with an attacking 32, while Dale Benkenstein gritted his way to 41. Damien Wright removed three of the Durham batsmen, as he bowled 13 impressive overs. Gareth Breese has so far added 40 with Benkenstein but there is still plenty of work to be done.

A statement from Bob Merriman, chairman of Cricket Australia, has allayed fears that Andrew Symonds might lose his playing contract in the wake of his disciplinary indiscretions last weekend. Despite his match-turning heroics with bat and ball against England on Thursday, an Australian newspaper had reported that top officials were debating whether or not to take additional disciplinary action after his well- documented night on the tiles in Cardiff last Friday.Ricky Ponting, the captain, had not commented on the matter subsequently, apart from expressing his delight over having Symonds back in the squad, and no reaction was forthcoming from James Sutherland, CA’s chief executive, who was in London for a meeting of the International Cricket Council. However, Bob Merriman, the board chairman, while suggesting that a fresh look would be needed at behavioural codes for players, said: “The majority of directors have concluded there should be no further action against Symonds.”The tour management had fined him and suspended him for two matches, but Cricket Australia still haven’t drawn a line under an incident which precipitated the shambolic defeat against Bangladesh at Sophia Gardens. According to , the manner in which the punishment was dealt with, and also the circumstances under which information about Symonds’all-night binge was leaked to the media, are to be scrutinised.The article quoted a board source as saying that some within the organisation had raised the question of whether Symonds had been in breach of contract, since Section 7.1 of the players’ contract clearly states: “the player agrees to perform his services under this contract diligently, faithfully and with utmost integrity”. It goes on to mention that the individual has agreed “to keep himself fit and in first-class physical condition to enable him to play to the best of his ability in all matches for which he is selected”.Ponting, John Buchanan and Steve Bernard – captain, coach and manager – had decided to fine Symonds and suspend him for two games after a disciplinary hearing following the defeat to Bangladesh. And according to the newspaper, a team meeting which had preceded that had seen a senior player emphasise the importance of players adhering to the terms of the Spirit of Cricket pledge.However, the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) had insisted that it would seek legal advice should there be any attempt to cancel Symonds’ contract. “I’m very, very surprised at Cricket Australia’s further contemplation of this issue as far as the player is concerned,” said Tim May, the ACA chief executive, quoted by AFP. “The issue has been dealt with. Do we propose to penalise this bloke twice? Why the directors are taking it further is beyond me.”

Belinda Clark has been appointed to lead Australia’s cricket academy – the first woman to hold the role. Clark, Australia women’s capain, will take up the post as the Centre of Excellence’s manager in September, when she returns from the Ashes tour of England and Ireland. This could mean that she stops playing international cricket – but she will make this decision upon her return.Cricket Australia confirmed that Clark, who is a Level 3 coach, will replace Trevor Robertson who will step down after two years. “Belinda is a natural leader,” said James Sunderland, the board’s chief executive, “an extremely competent cricket administrator and we are very fortunate to be able to appoint someone of her calibre.”The Centre of Excellence was set up in 1988 and 240 players have benefited from its work, with 34 of them going on to represent Australia in Tests or one-dayers.

Close
Scorecard
How they were out

Daren Powell successfully grabbed the bowling spotlight from his troubled new-ball colleague Jermaine Lawson with a career-best performance that left Sri Lanka red-faced and under pressure after their third unconvincing batting performance against a side missing ten leading players. Local pre-match hopes that Sri Lanka would cruise to a 2-0 series win were quickly extinguished as they were bowled out for a pathetic 150 in 46.1 overs.However, Chaminda Vaas struck back almost immediately for Sri Lanka, taking 3 for 15 during a fine opening burst either side of the tea interval that left West Indies in tatters on 27 for 4. When Vaas trapped the shuffling Shivnarine Chanderpaul (13) lbw, their only Test class batsman, it looked like Sri Lanka could finish on top despite Daren Powell’s careeer best 5 for 25.Vaas’s removal from the attack, though, after a seven-over burst – a spell shortened by the hangover of his flu – gave them a chance to regroup. Sylvester Joseph (18), who was moved down into the middle order after the inclusion of Ryan Ramdass for a first Test cap, and Narsingh Deonarine frustrated Sri Lanka with a 48 run partnership. Marvan Atapattu was not helped by Muttiah Muralitharan’s unavailability: he was so weakened by flu that he sent down a succession of long hops in a two-over first spell.But Vaas, after a relatively unthreatening spell from Gayan Wijekoon, a bits-and-pieces allrounder that has so far failed to catch the eye with either bat or ball, returned to the attack. Sure enough, he broke through once more, needing just four balls to find the end of Joseph’s bat. Tillakaratne Dilshan hoovered up a sharp low catch at second slip (75 for 5).Deonarine (36 not out) and Denesh Ramdin (eight not out) kept Vaas at bay until the close, leaving West Indies with a sniff of first innings parity, now trailing by 58 runs.While Vaas starred in the evening, the first two sessions belonged to Powell and Tino Best. With Lawson looking a shadow of the bowler that took 8 for 102 in the first Test, unsurprisingly so considering the clouds over his bowling action, Powell and Best rose to the occasion after Chanderpaul gambled at the toss and bowled first on the brown, grassless pitch that offered the prospect of extravagant turn later in the game.Sanath Jayasuriya, one of five players who have been struggling with a flu virus in the lead-up to the game, started the slide, albeit blamelessly so because he was unfortunate to be given out caught behind by Simon Taufel. There was a noise as the ball zipped past a defensive bat, but television replays suggested this was from his bat hitting pad, not ball hitting bat (3 for 1).Sangakkara, though, had no-one to blame but himself for a wild, reckless slash outside his off-stump to a wide but good-length ball from Powell. The ball whistled into the slips where Runako Morton, moving fast and high to his right, guzzled a sharp catch. West Indies, for the third time in the series, were celebrating with a mixture of elation and surprise as Sri Lanka’s top order wobbled.Powell came agonisingly close to a third wicket, but Deonarine could not hold onto a relatively straightforward chance at short leg as Atapattu fended off a brutish delivery. But Atapattu (17) did not last much longer before Best, the great showman of the side, bowled him with an inswinger first up, a ball that zipped back through the gate and knocked back his off-stump (35 for 3).It got worse before it got better for Sri Lanka. Jayawardene, a batting hero in the second innings of the first Test, creamed one boundary but then edged to slip, a dismissal that prompted some excited gesticulations from a delighted and pumped-up Best. Sri Lanka were left wobbling on 42 for 4, once again embarrassed by experienced opponents.Fortunately for the hosts, Tillakaratne Dilshan was in fine form and determined to play positively. He unleashed a series of stylish strokes, taking 15 from one over by Best, to claw Sri Lanka back into a game that was already hinting at an early finish. Dilshan sped to 36 from 48 balls and was supported well by Thilan Samaraweera (37) who dropped anchor.But just when Dilshan and Samaweera looked to have pulled Sri Lanka back into the game, adding 56 in 76 balls, Chanderpaul turned back to Best. His first ball was carved over slip for four but his second was worked into the leg-side. Samaraweera set-off, hesitated, and then sent Dilshan back. Best sprinted to the ball and threw down the stumps on the turn to leave Dilshan millimetres short of his ground.Dilshan’s dismissal was crucial, opening up the tail. Chaminda Vaas, the new No 7, miscued a pull stroke and then Samaraweera and Gayan Wikekoon tried to eke their side out of the hole. But the afternoon drinks break and the return of the lively Powell hurried the innings to a close. Powell finished with 5 for 25 and Best 3 for 50.West Indies could not have made a worse and more amateurish start to their reply as Ramdass and Xavier Marshall were left eyeball-to-eyeball at the strikers end after a horrible communication breakdown. Ramdass’s ignominious start to his Test career was followed next ball by more self-destruction as Marshall drove a half-volley straight to mid off (9 for 2).After the break, Vaas continued to torment West Indies top order, some of whom resorted to batting three foot outside their crease to stop his lethal inswing. But Sri Lanka countered that by Kumar Sangakkara standing up to the stumps and, in truth, Vaas’s next two wickets owed less to swing than misjudgements as Morton shoulder arms and Chanderpaul shuffled right in front of his stumps.

Sri Lanka
Sanath Jayasuriya c Ramdin b Powell 2 (3 for 1)
Kumar Sangakkara c Morton b Powell 6 (17 for 2)
Marvan Atapattu b Best 17 (35 for 3)
Mahela Jayawardene c Morton b Best (42 for 4)
Tillakaratne Dilshan run out (Best) 36 (98 for 5)
Chaminda Vaas c Ramdass b Best 6 (107 for 6)
Thilan Samaraweera c Deonarine b Banks 37 (127 for 7)
Rangana Herath c Ramdin b Powell 1 (130 for 8)
Gayan Wijekoon c Ramdass b Powell 14 (143 for 9)
Lasith Malinga c Ramdin b Powell 0 (150 for 10)
West Indies
Ryan Ramdass run out (Lasith Malinga) 3 (9 for 1)
Xavier Marshall c Atapattu b Vaas 4 (9 for 2)
Runako Morton b Vaas 1 (12 for 3)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul lbw Vaas 13 (27 for 4)
Sylvester Joseph c Dilshan b Vaas 18 (75 for 5)