Mahmudullah steers Bangladesh A to title

Bangladesh A chased down a target of 186 with four wickets to spare against Bangladesh in the BCB Cup final in Dhaka

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2011
ScorecardAlok Kapali’s half-century went in vain as Bangladesh succumbed to a four-wicket loss•BCBBangladesh A chased down a target of 186 with four wickets to spare against Bangladesh in the BCB Cup final in Dhaka. The win was set up by an unbeaten knock of 78 from Mahmudullah, who was recently named vice-captain of the national side.Batting first, none of Bangladesh’s batsmen, apart from Alok Kapali, managed to build an innings. Kapali, batting at No. 6, struck a positive 68 to take his side close to a respectable total. His knock was studded with ten boundaries, and came after his side had been reduced to 74 for 5 in 20.1 overs. Bangladesh A’s bowlers shared the wickets around, but Farhad Reza was the pick – he claimed Tamim Iqbal early in the innings, before returning to clean up the tail in the 46th over.The chase was off to a dismal start, with Abdur Razzak and Rubel Hossain knocking over Bangladesh A’s top three for next to nothing . They were reduced to 6 for 3 in the seventh over, before Raqibul Hasan and Mahmudullah steadied the innings with a half-century partnership. Hasan was run out for 32 and Kapali knocked over a couple in quick succession with his legspin. However, Reza struck a quick 27 as Mahmudullah remained solid at the other end, to finish the match with an over in hand.

Roy century lights up draw

A career-best 106 from 109 balls from Surrey’s rookie batsman Jason Roy could not make up for the loss of 71 overs to rain yesterday as a high-scoring County Championship Division Two tussle with Glamorgan ended in stalemate at The Oval

27-May-2011
ScorecardA career-best 106 from 109 balls from Surrey’s rookie batsman Jason Roy could not make up for the loss of 71 overs to rain yesterday as a high-scoring County Championship Division Two tussle with Glamorgan ended in stalemate at The Oval.Resuming at the start of the fourth and final day on 46 without loss, Glamorgan lost Will Bragg when he was bowled by Tim Linley, only for Gareth Rees and Mike Powell to canter along at four runs an over through to lunch and extend their side’s lead to 320 runs.Rees posted a 117-ball half-century with a six over long-on off Chris Schofield and nine overs later Powell progressed to his 50 off 75 deliveries, with a dabbed four to third man off Batty. Glamorgan’s batsmen showed even greater intent in the afternoon session but were overly cautious with their declaration.Rees reverse-swept the first ball of the session for four and lifted a delivery from Rory Hamilton-Brown over midwicket for six on his way to a 162-ball hundred. His stand with Powell added 185 in less than 34 overs, a new record for Glamorgan’s second wicket against Surrey, before he holed out to long-on.Roy, primarily a wicketkeeper but deployed as a declaration bowler, then made further breakthroughs with his maiden scalps in first-class cricket. Ben Wright became his first victim when he edged to Rory Burns then two overs later Mark Wallace drilled to Jade Dernbach at mid-off, leaving Powell unbeaten on 67 and Surrey with a target of 395 off a minimum of 50 overs.Roy and Hamilton-Brown evoked memories of great Brown Cap run-chases in raising a century stand in 15 overs as Roy raced to a 38-ball 50 with 10 fours. Hamilton-Brown was slightly more conservative, reaching his half-century in 52 deliveries.Surrey went into the final session requiring 266 off 31 overs but Hamilton-Brown was stumped for 68 having just brought up the 150 stand with a six over long-on off the bowling of Robert Croft.Nine overs later, Roy dispatched Dean Cosker into the pavilion to reach his maiden first-class hundred off 89 balls – but by then Surrey required 11 an over and had resigned themselves to a drawing the match. The hosts finished with 10 points to Glamorgan’s seven.

Prince Imran makes Games plea

Cricket could return to the Commonwealth Games as early as 2018 if the International Cricket Council (ICC) accepts an invitation from the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).

George Dobell27-Jun-2012Cricket could return to the Commonwealth Games as early as 2018 if the International Cricket Council (ICC) accepts an invitation from the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).HRH Prince Imran of Malaysia, the Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation, made a presentation to the ICC board on Wednesday, inviting cricket into the 2018 Commonwealth Games, to be held on the Gold Coast in Australia, and the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games, which will be held in St Lucia.Cricket has been included in the Commonwealth Games just once – in Malaysia in 1998 – when South Africa won gold by defeating Australia (silver) in the final. New Zealand won bronze. The Games have a worldwide TV audience of over 400 million.”I gave the ICC board a brief introduction to the Commonwealth Games,” Prince Imran told ESPNcricinfo. “I told them that the feeling from our AGM in St Kitts in November was that we were keen to have cricket back in the Games and, with Australia hosting in 2018, that might present an ideal opportunity.”I hope this will be a win-win situation. Including cricket within the Commonwealth Games would present an opportunity to showcase the sport not just to a new audience, but to other sports administrators. Just as Rugby 7s got into the Olympics after making a good impression in the Commonwealth Games, so could cricket.”But the greatest benefit of inclusion is not commercial; it is about the globalisation of the game. I believe inclusion within the Commonwealth Games would be particularly beneficial for the development of the women’s game. It would provide a high-profile tournament for them to take part in.”While there is little opposition to cricket’s inclusion in the Commonwealth Games on principle, the practical obstacles remain substantial. Even if the Future Tours Programme left room for another event and even if the issues with long-term broadcast contracts could be resolved, the fact is that the 2018 Commonwealth Games are scheduled for the prime weeks of the IPL; between April 4 and 15.Such is the CGF’s desire to see cricket included within the Games, however, they stressed to the ICC that they would be happy to see the “best available” players selected.”We understand that the cricket schedule is very busy,” Prince Imran continued “and selection, of course, is the prerogative of the board. We would understand if the players selected were the best available.”I am sure that the players would like to participate. Shaun Pollock and Steve Waugh both appeared in the Games in 1998, while Sir Viv Richards was there as team manager of the Antigua side: I know they all enjoyed and valued the experience.”The ICC will now investigate the costs and benefits of inclusion in multi-sports games, with Prince Imran not anticipating a formal response until the next ICC board meeting in October.

Vaas mulls international retirement

Chaminda Vaas, the Sri Lankan medium-pacer, has said he’s contemplating international retirement after failing to make the World Cup squad

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2011Chaminda Vaas, the Sri Lankan medium-pacer, has said he’s contemplating international retirement after failing to make the World Cup squad. Vaas, who is two weeks away from his 37th birthday, retired from Tests in 2009 and hasn’t played internationals limited-overs in two-and-a-half years.He had repeatedly stated that his goal was to play in the 2011 World Cup, and was included in the preliminary 30-man squad for the tournament but left out of the final list.”I tried my best, but my performances have not been good enough to get me selected,” Vaas told the . “I wish the team very good luck and hope they bring the World Cup back to Sri Lanka again.”Vaas has been among the wickets for Colts Cricket Club in the Sri Lankan domestic one-dayers, taking eight in three matches at an average of 7.13 over the past week. He also had a great run in the Friends Provident t20 series for Northamptonshire, taking 23 wickets at 15.82 and a miserly economy-rate of 6.33. He turned in several match-turning performances in the IPL for Deccan Chargers in 2010, but they were not enough to earn him a contract at last weekend’s auction in Bangalore.”I haven’t finally decided, but I will make my mind up after the World Cup whether to retire from international matches.”Vaas and Sanath Jayasuriya, another winner of the 1996 World Cup, were left out of the World Cup squad by a selection panel headed by Aravinda de Silva, the Man of the Match in the semi-final and final when Sri Lanka became champions in 1996.Vaas is widely regarded as Sri Lanka’s finest ever fast bowler, having taken 355 Test wickets and 400 in ODIs.

Manchester United: Fabrizio Romano drops Pau Torres interest

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Manchester United are ‘interested’ in a move for Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres.

The Lowdown: Torres profiled

Torres has progressed through Villarreal’s academy and has made 127 senior appearances for the Spanish side – 40 of which have come during the current campaign.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-man-utd-news/” title=”Latest Man Utd news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Labelled as ‘extraordinary’, the Spain international is currently in England ahead of Villarreal’s Champions League semi-final first leg with Liverpool this evening.

The 25-year-old is at the peak of his powers, currently holding a career-high £45m Transfermarkt valuation, but will be into the final two years of his contract in the summer, and it looks as if the Red Devils are keen on his services.

The Latest: Romano’s post

Romano took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to provide an update on Torres.

He revealed that the centre-back is attracting interest from both Manchester United and Manchester City, while Chelsea are also keeping tabs on his situation.

“Pau Torres is attracting interest from top clubs again as his release clause will be valid this summer: €55/60m, available until the end of the market.

“Manchester United and Manchester City are both interested – Chelsea have also sent their scouts to follow him.”

The Verdict: Needed?

It looks as if Torres will have a release clause in the region of €55m (£46.5m), something which could seriously appeal to United chiefs.

Erik ten Hag may see defence as a key area which needs addressing ahead of his first season in charge, especially with the Red Devils keeping just one clean sheet in their last 11 games.

Therefore, bringing in Torres, who is clearly a man in demand in the Premier League and is hitting his prime, could be a really good move by United as they look to solve their backline woes under the Dutchman.

In other news: Man Utd now leading race to sign ‘absolute beast’ in club-record deal following Ten Hag request. 

Majola cleared over bonus payments

Gerald Majola, chief executive of Cricket South Africa (CSA), has been cleared of all charges of financial impropriety relating to bonus payments from the 2009 Indian Premier League and travel expenses for his wife

Firdose Moonda19-Nov-2010Gerald Majola, chief executive of Cricket South Africa (CSA), has been cleared of all charges of financial impropriety relating to bonus payments from the 2009 Indian Premier League and travel expenses for him and his wife. However, he has been formally cautioned that all future payments received by him from outside CSA must be reported to the body’s remunerations committee (REMCO) and he will have to pay back the travel costs of his children.Majola and 39 other staff members’ bonuses, that were paid out after the successful second season of the IPL, were being investigated by a CSA internal commission of inquiry because they did not go through REMCO. Instead, the amounts were picked up by the board’s auditors Deloitte who reported irregularities in the body’s financial statements in August. After initially announcing that the payments would be probed externally, CSA decided to move the commission in-house and vice president AK Khan chaired proceedings.CSA was criticised for a lack transparency after moving the investigation in-house but they attempted to ensure independence by including two external members as part of their review committee. Attorney Yusuf Dockrat and Advocate N Cassim assisted Khan, John Bester (Chairperson of CSA’s Finance Committee) and John Blair (Chairperson of CSA’s Audit Committee). The committee made their findings pubic at a press conference on Friday in Johannesburg.The committee found that Majola had received bonuses from the IPL and ICC Champions Trophy of R1 775 143 (US $253 591), equivalent to eight times his annual salary for the 2009 and 2010 financial year. The amount were processed through CSAs payroll and taxed but not through REMCO, as a result of precedents set in previous non-CSA events, particularly the 2007 World Twenty20.”The treatment of the fund as separate from CSA… is not ideal. It undermines the purpose of good governance and provides fertile ground for accusations of impropriety,” said the report. However it found that REMCO should have been aware of the bonuses because they were recorded in CSA’s books. Khan said: “Nothing before us suggests that there was deliberate concealment of the event bonuses.”The committee noted that Majola was “naïve in matters of this nature” and in future he will have to ensure that any event bonuses are also signed off by a member of REMCO. “Majola made an error of judgement,” Khan said. “He will be taken through processes to make sure this does not happen again.”Also under the spotlight was more than half a million rand (US$71,428) in travel costs incurred by Majola and his family. The investigations found that Majola was well under the board’s budget for his travel of R1.4 million (approx US$200,000) with the cost for him and his wife coming to R629000 (US$89,857) although Majola will have to pay back R28,169 (US$4,024 which was paid for his children.Bester said that Majola wife’s travel costs, which came under scrutiny after a leaked report to the Times newspaper allegedly authored by CSA president Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka mentioned them, can be covered by CSA. “As CEO you have the special privilege of your spouse accompanying you. He acted within the constraints of his contract and did not abuse the system.”The leaked report also brought to the fore what insiders claim are a “very strained relationship” between Majola and Nyoka. An unhappy looking Nyoka was present at Friday’s press conference and would not be drawn on whether he was satisfied with the committee’s work. “The commission has had the opportunity to listen to submissions from various parties and they have come to a decision,” he said. “We must respect that.”Majola and Nyoka have appeared to be at loggerheads since Nyoka was chairman of the Gauteng Cricket Board (GCB) at the turn of the millennium. In 2002, Nyoka resigned from his post at the GCB after unsuccessfully challenging then United Cricket Board (UCB) president Percy Sonn for his position.Nyoka returned to cricket in 2005, as chair of a 22-man steering committee that was set up to run the GCB. His role to assist in mediating between warring clubs who were up in arms over the lack of transformation in the province. He was elected President of CSA in October 2008 and Khan rejected rumours of a vote of no confidence in Nyoka. “Doctor Nyoka is our president and he was elected to occupy that post for the next two years.”

Smith bullish about playing for Clarke

Steven Smith has called Michael Clarke a “very, very good captain of spin” and believes he stands to benefit from Clarke’s close relationship with Shane Warne

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2011Steven Smith, the Australia legspinning allrounder, has called Michael Clarke a “very, very good captain of spin” and believes he stands to benefit from Clarke’s close relationship with Shane Warne. Smith is currently recovering from ankle surgery but hopes to start running next week and bowling within a month. If all goes well, Smith should get his first chance to play Test cricket under Clarke during the away series against Sri Lanka in August and September. The pair has already developed a solid working relationship in the limited-overs formats of the game.”He’s helped me out a lot,” Smith told the . “He’s a big believer in giving a bit of protection when you start off and when you get into your spell bring your men in. Warnie was a big believer in that as well. He thought if you had your men out and brought them in you were attacking. If you had to push men out it felt like you were retreating and the batsmen were on top.”I think that’s something Michael’s got from Shane by being good friends with him and that will help me out a lot with my bowling.”There is expected to be limited competition for the spinner’s spot in the playing XI. Offspinner Nathan Hauritz is still recovering from shoulder surgery, while left-arm spinner Michael Beer and offspinner Jason Krejza will be part of next month’s Australia A tour to Zimbabwe.Smith has also benefitted from the late Terry Jenner’s expertise, if not quite to the same extent that Warne did. “He [Jenner] is an absolute genius at what he does,” Smith said. “The sessions I had with him I learned a lot from and continue to learn a lot. There were a few things like tactics and trying to work out a batsman, looking at them even when you’re not bowling to them.”Looking at the way they’re doing things. See if you can pick up anything. It’s pretty tough coming on to bowl and trying to figure out what they’re doing. He also slowed down my run-up and made sure I was more composed at the crease. He got my bowling shoulder up a little bit higher to allow me to get over the ball a little bit more and help me with drift.”

Surrey move fourth after beating London rivals

Surrey moved to fourth in the Friends Life t20 South Group and inflicted an 11th defeat on basement side Middlesex after clinching a nine-run success at Lord’s

08-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Surrey moved to fourth in the Friends Life t20 South Group and inflicted an 11th defeat on basement side Middlesex after clinching a nine-run success at Lord’s.A St John’s Wood crowd of around 16,000 were left subdued for much of an encounter that Surrey edged from the moment their captain Rory Hamilton-Brown won the toss and went on to play a cameo role in his side’s impressive total of 182 for 3.Visiting openers Jason Roy and Steven Davies gave the Lions a roaring start by posting 92 for the first wicket, including 64 in their six powerplay overs. They were assisted by some slack Panthers fielding and wayward Middlesex bowling from all bar Steven Finn, whose four overs cost 26.Steven Cook sent down three wides and conceded 35 in his only three overs, while replacement Ryan McLaren leaked 19 from his opening over, including the first six of the night by Roy over long-on.Middlesex skipper Neil Dexter temporarily stemmed the flow of boundaries with his medium-pacers from the Pavilion End, but left-arm spinner Tom Smith proved expensive at the Nursery End as Roy plundered another straight six on his way to a 35-ball half-century.But two deliveries later Roy drilled the first ball of the night from off-spinner Jamie Dalrymple into the hands of Chris Rogers at wide long-off to make it 99 for one at the innings mid-point. Left-handed Davies lofted a cover drive to the ropes to post the second half-century of the match from 25 balls and with eight fours, only to fall to Dalrymple’s next delivery. Drawn down the pitch, he edged his drive to keeper John Simpson, who whipped off the bails for good measure.Simpson stumped Hamilton-Brown off Smith, but blotted his copy book by dropping Tom Maynard when on 17 as Finn returned to complete his tidy four-over allocation and keep Surrey below 200.Chasing at a rate of 9.15 an over, Middlesex were in trouble in the opening over when Paul Stirling saw Stuart Meaker hold a swirling, high chance on the run at long-on. Three balls later Scott Newman, aiming to pull a short one from Chris Tremlett, gloved one leg-side to the keeper Davies to make it 10 for two only seven deliveries into the home reply.Rogers went for 18 after playing inside a leg-cutter from left- armer Dirk Nannes that clipped off stump, but Dexter and Dalrymple salvaged home pride in a stand of 74. Even so Panthers’ asking rate continued to escalate and, with pressure mounting Dexter sallied down the pitch to be stumped by a yard against leg-spinner Chris Schofield and go for 49 off 36 balls.Dalrymple deposited a full one from Gareth Batty into the Grandstand for six and carved four through backward point in Meaker’s next over, only to lose Simpson when he splayed a Nannes full-toss to deep cover.Dalrymple miscued to mid-wicket to go for 48 off 35 balls then McLaren and Cook followed in successive balls to give Nannes his maiden five-wicket haul in t20 cricket and help Surrey to their sixth win of the campaign.

Tuskers win pushes them to second spot

A round-up of the third round of Castle Logan Cup matches

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2010
Scorecard
Terry Duffin’s 193 set up Tuskers victory•Zimbabwe CricketMatabeleland Tuskers posted their first win of the season, overcoming Southern Rocks by six wickets in Bulawayo, to move into second spot in the Logan Cup standings. The defeat leaves Rocks at the bottom of the table, with zero points after three matches.Two of the architects of the victory were 22-year-old medium-pacer Keegan Meth, who took seven wickets in the match, and former international opener Terry Duffin, whose 193 was nearly half of Tuskers’ total in the first innings. The finishing touches to the win was provided by an unbroken 98-run stand for the fifth wicket between Steven Trenchard and Adam Wheater.Rocks were in trouble after choosing to bat, new-ball bowlers Meth and Njabulo Ncube slicing through the batting to leave them at 12 for 3 and later 124 for 6. It was 24-year-old Pakistan-born batsman Sikandar Raza who hauled them to a respectable total, making his maiden first-class century and forging substantial partnerships with Tendai Chisoro (50) and Blessing Mahwire (45) for the seventh and eighth wickets.Tuskers’ innings was a reversal, with the top half contributing and the lower order collapsing. Duffin made 193, his highest first-class score, and Gavin Ewing chipped in with 81 as Tuskers marched to 319 for 3 before offspinner Keith Kulinga and Mahwire rolled over the rest of the side. Kulinga’s 5-114 was his first five-wicket haul.The Rocks’ top order didn’t impress in the second innings as well, and it was again left to Raza to rescue them again, this time with an unbeaten 60 that lifted them to 225. Faced with the fairly small target of 176, Tuskers nearly made a mess of it, losing their top four for 78 before Trenchard and Wheater secured the victory.
Scorecard
Mashonaland Eagles had to fight hard to secure the first-innings lead and with that one point against Mid West Rhinos in Kwekwe. Former South African allrounder Andrew Hall’s unbeaten century from No. 6 helped Eagles fight back from 193 for 6 and clamber past Rhinos’ competitive first-innings score of 351.Sent in to bat, Rhinos slid to 98 for 5, before they were also bolstered by a lower middle-order century – from 23-year-old Remembrance Nyati, whose 118 and Solomon Mire’s 52 pushed Rhinos beyond 300. Eagles’ opener Simbarashe Gupo posted a half-century and captain Forster Mutizwa made 42 at No. 3 but they soon found themselves at 144 for 5, in danger of conceding a big lead before Hall intervened. At 270 for 7, either side could still have grabbed that lead, but No. 10 Trevor Garwe stood firm with a 41 to assist Hall in guiding Eagles past the Rhinos’ total.In the second innings, Rhinos’ top order was in top form: Gary Ballance made a century, his opening partner, Friday Kasteni, made 56 and captain Vusi Sibanda contributed a brisk 57. Rhinos declared at 294 for 4, leaving Eagles a target of 292. Mutizwa blasted 84 at nearly a run-a-ball but there weren’t enough overs for Eagles to get near the target, finishing on 187 for 5 in 52 overs.

India on top, but Ponting keeps Australia alive

India is the only country in which Ricky Ponting has not won a Test as captain and despite the best efforts of Ponting the batsman, he needs something special from his bowlers to end that record on Wednesday

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale12-Oct-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRicky Ponting kept Australia in the game with 72•AFPIndia is the only country in which Ricky Ponting has not won a Test as captain and despite the best efforts of Ponting the batsman, he needs something special from his bowlers to end that record on Wednesday. After a hard-fought four days, India hold the upper hand going into the final morning thanks to a fine all-round bowling effort led by Pragyan Ojha.The hosts need only a draw in order to win the series, with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy already in their keeping, but this Test should finish in a victory. And for all the fight shown by Ponting in an innings of 72 – his third score in the seventies this series – it remained to be seen whether Australia’s lead of 185 at stumps was enough.A day that began with Sachin Tendulkar scoring his sixth Test double-century ended with some fraught moments for Australia’s batsmen against spin and reverse-swing. Seven men succumbed before Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Hauritz survived until stumps, and the Australians will aim for at least 50 more runs on the final morning.Against the spin of Ojha and Harbhajan Singh, on a cracking surface with fielders crowding around the bat, there was no room for hard hands or soft minds. But despite pushing through those tough periods, Ponting eventually fell lbw to the swing of Zaheer Khan within the final half-hour. He was followed by Tim Paine, who edged behind for 23 off a Sreesanth outswinger, and the strikes put India on top.Australia’s innings had begun positively enough as Shane Watson and Simon Katich erased India’s 17-run advantage and quickly set about building a lead of their own. But the match turned India’s way when Ojha trapped Watson lbw for 31 with a ball that drifted on with the arm, and Harbhajan had Katich (24) caught behind with no addition to the total.It was a sharp take from Dhoni, who clutched the thick edge in the end of his gloves and shortly afterwards completed another slick piece of work to stump Michael Clarke off Ojha for 3. Clarke did not realise he had dragged his foot out of his ground, and slumped his head as he walked off with a miserable series aggregate of 35 from four innings.The spinners were in control, and it took some counterattacking from Ponting to change that. He forced the field back by going over the top against Ojha, which was brave but necessary given India’s rising momentum, and he found the gaps to turn the strike over in a useful 61-run partnership with Michael Hussey.Smart Stats

Sachin Tendulkar’s double century was his sixth overall, putting him fourth on the all-time list of players with the most 200-plus scores.

Tendulkar’s 214 was his second double-century against Australia bringing him level third with Graeme Pollock and VVS Laxman. Walter Hammond (4) and Brian Lara (3) top the list of batsmen with the most double centuries against Australia.

This was the first day of the Test when a wicket fell in the first session. India lost Tendulkar with the score at 486 and the next four wickets for just nine runs.

Ricky Ponting’s 72 was his highest Test score in the second innings in India. Prior to this innings, his highest score was 17.

While Australia did not bowl a single no-ball in the Indian innings, India have bowled 14 no-balls in the two Australian innings so far.

But Ojha and Harbhajan were not done yet; Ojha trapped Hussey lbw for 20 and Marcus North failed to back up his first-innings century when his ugly angled bat missed a Harbhajan offbreak and he was bowled for 3. Only with the arrival of Paine did Australia push their buffer past 150 runs, although they won’t feel comfortable with anything less than 200.After all, Tendulkar managed that many on his own over the past couple of days. He began the morning on 191 and did not take long to register his second Test double-century of the year. However, he showed that even two decades at the highest level cannot totally erase nervy moments; on 199 he nudged to cover and took off for a suicidal single, only to be rightly sent back by Dhoni.The milestone came from his 337th delivery, with a quick single pushed to cover point off Ben Hilfenhaus, and Tendulkar raised his bat and looked skyward while taking the applause from the fans. He looked set to guide India past 500, until the debutant Peter George dragged Australia back into the contest by sparking a collapse of five wickets for nine runs.Having batted throughout Monday, Tendulkar started to look a little tired and his vigil finished when he tried to square-drive a George inswinger and chopped the ball on to his stumps. The bowler’s eyes widened as he realised he had just made Tendulkar his first Test wicket, and in years to come he might omit from the story the 214 runs the master had accumulated.George followed up with the wicket of Zaheer, who drove a slower ball to Clarke at cover, and in between Watson had drawn a lobbed catch to midwicket from Harbhajan. Hauritz finished the job by having Dhoni caught at slip and eliciting a positive lbw decision against Sreesanth, as India were dismissed on the stroke of lunch for 495.It was a strong fightback from Australia, but their bowlers will need to be even more incisive on the final day.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus