Australia wins in rain-reduced match

Australia 183 for 4 (Ponting 63, Clarke 44) hit South Africa 129 (Johnson 3-20, Cummins 3-28) by 93 runs (D/L method)

South Africa unsuccessful to chase down a tough Duckworth/Lewis goal of 223 at Centurion as Australia won the first of a five-match one-day international series by 93 runs.

Batting second in a match cleaned out by the weather - play was held-up for four and a half hours as violent storm engulfs the stadium - the hosts drooping to 129 all out in response to Australia's spirited 183 for four from a revise 29 overs.

Former captain Ricky Ponting starred with the bat for Australia, top-scoring with a easy 63, while there were important aid with the ball from debutants Pat Cummins (three for 28) and Mitch Marsh.

South Africa's rejoinder looked doomed from almost the moment it began; with former captain Graeme Smith recurring to the sheds after just five balls.

He played crossways a Doug Bollinger delivery and was sent on his way for four; bring Jacques Kallis to join Hashim Amla at the crease.

The pair crunch a maximum each but their 36-run partnership broken in the eighth over as Cummins took centre stage.

He got his first ODI wicket with just his ninth ball, attractive Kallis onward and inducing an edge that clean he up for 15, before having JP Duminy snared by Captain Michael Clarke at second slip two balls afterward.

Marsh quickly detached Amla, who had enthused on to 24, even though his maiden ODI scalp owed a lot to Brad Haddin's superb one-handed catch, before an instant of slight controversy at the end of the 13th over.

Xavier Doherty's ball draw a drive out of David Miller and Clarke claim a catch at point, but the third umpire was called over doubt over a bump ball.

Miller was accordingly given out for 11, and Doherty had two not long after when he attentive Mark Boucher in front for one - the choice given after Clarke review the original call.

Cummins then drop Johan Botha off Marsh, but the wickets kept coming as Mitchell Johnson detached Faf du Plessis for 27.

Dale Steyn (five) and Johan Botha (25) both departed to Johnson and Cummins as they chase quick runs and, when Marsh caught Lonwabo Tsotsobe to give Johnson figures of three for 20, the game was up.

Ponting and Hussey carried on in spite of, with Ponting bitter when he picked out Botha at toward the back point off Steyn, send-off Hussey to carry the fight, with small gifts from Haddin (nine) and Marsh (eight not out).

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Taufeeq Umar's puts Pakistan in charge

Pakistan 259 for 1 (Taufeeq 109*, Hafeez 75, Azhar 60*) lead Sri Lanka 197 by 62 runs

Pakistan ended the second day of the first Test next to Sri Lanka in complete manage as Taufeeq Umar's careful century helped them to effortlessness into a first-innings lead in Abu Dhabi.

Taufeeq had reach 109 not out at stump in a total of 259 for one, put them 62 ahead of the chosen away side with nine wickets in hand.

Mohammad Hafeez (75) and Azhar Ali (60no) also serrated half-centuries as Pakistan unspecified command at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Junaid Khan's five for 38 had help bowl Sri Lanka out for 197 on day one, with only Angelo Mathews impress with an unbeaten 52.

Pakistan resume at 27 with no loss this morning and by the end of the first session Hafeez was unbeaten on 73 off 121 balls, with beneficiary opener Taufeeq on 35 off 107.

Hafeez reach his 50 off 88 balls, although it came in unimpressive fashion as a thick edge off Suranga Lakmal flew over gully and ran for four.

He drilled Rangana Herath for six in the 30th over with a pleasant shot, having managed eight fours in total.

Hafeez was only clever to add two more runs to his compute after lunch before he was out to Herath,

which bring Azhar to the pleat with the score at 118 for one.

Taufeeq bring up his 50 from 144 balls off Chanaka Welegedara with a single, while Azhar was winning on 26 at the tea interval.

Taufeeq's century, his second international Test ton, finally came up off a Lakmal no-ball, having face 259 balls.

Azhar's half-century came up soon afterwards off 146 balls as he short a Nuwan Pradeep ball for a single.

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Steven Finn said: We have chance to win the series

Steven Finn insists that England still think they can claim a staged comeback victory in their ODI series with India.

The tourists have lost the first two contests of the series and must clean the remaining three games if they are to come out on top next to the World Cup winners.

Despite their supremacy over India in all forms of the game at home this summer, England have been soundly crushed in both the opening contest and will be underdog another time in the third ODI in Mohali on Thursday.

Much has been made of England's failure to become accustomed to the different circumstances on the sub-continent, but Finn firmly believes that his side can revive the winning touch.

"India has probably had the better of the circumstances on both occasion," the 22-year-old said.

"We can't blame out loss on that, but they've almost certainly had the better of the conditions. I don't think there is too much dissimilarity (from the summer), to be honest, it's the same teams playing next to each other.

"They've clearly had more experience to these conditions in the past. But that's something we learn in every training session that we train in, every game that we play and every over that we face or bowl and we're only going to get better all through this series."

Even though they must win three successive matches to turn the series around, Finn says the whole of the squad are still aim for overall victory.

The seamier added: "We've got nothing to lose now - we're playing next to the world champions in their own conditions, we have nothing to misplace whatsoever.

"In these next three games we're going to go away nothing in the dressing room - not that no matter which has been left in the dressing room so far - and we're really look forward to these next three games.

"We have full faith that we can win these three games."

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