Michael Clarke strain stability

Australia 333 & 240 (Hussey 89, Ponting 60, Yadav 4-70) beat India 282 & 169 (Pattinson 4-53, Siddle 3-42) by 122 runs

Australia captain Michael Clarke praised his team's inspiring first Test win over India - and then told them he wants more.

Australia clinch a 122-run success after their quick’s again tore throughout a star-studded India batting line-up on day four at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Man-of-the-match James Pattinson led the way, in just his third Test, with second-innings figures of four for 53 as India were bowled out for 169 in two sessions.

It ensured Australia will head to Sydney next week full of self-confidence and Clarke has told his team they must cash in.

Australia has not won back-to-back Test matches since the tour of New Zealand almost two years ago, while they have not won two Tests in any of the six series since.

It is a trend Clarke is strong-minded to end as his side looks to show the potential they have begun to display since he took over as captain earlier this year.

"Consistency is what I've spoken about in the past," Clarke said. "There’s a period all through that game where we didn't carry out as well as we'd like, so we need to look to get better that come Sydney.

"When you're on top you need to make the most of that. I think we did that actually well with the ball, and we fight really hard with the bat on Day 3 and again on Day 4.

"It surely is a time to enjoy this success, this first Test match, but once tonight's gone it is about re-assessing, working out how we can get better and go out all guns blazing in Sydney and try to win another Test match."

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni believe his side will react in Sydney, but admitted his batsmen will need to improve if they are to level the four-match series.

"It's a long series which gives you the chance to come back," he said. "We need to score more runs. Otherwise, it would be very hard for us to win. "We need to apply ourselves a lot more. And if we do that I have no uncertainty that we would come back strongly."

Dhoni established plenty of criticism for letting Australia's lower order score easy runs in both innings, particularly on Day 4 when last pair Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus shared a 43-run stand that kept the visitors chasing leather for 45 minutes.

Dhoni admit the team needed to improve its strategy when bowling to the tail.
"The bowlers bring us back in to the game. We were short by 50-odd runs in the first innings," he said.

"Their lower order scored some runs, if we had got them earlier, we would have had 50-60 runs less to chase. "We need to find a way to get the lower order out cheaply."

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Rangana Herath spin Sri Lanka to victory win

Sri Lanka 338 (Samaraweera 102, Chandimal 58, de Lange 7-81) and 279 (Sangakkara 108, Chandimal 54, Steyn 5-73) strike South Africa 168 (Amla 54, Welegedara 5-52, Herath 4-49) and 241 (de Villiers 69, Amla 51, Herath 5-79) by 208 runs

Sri Lanka leveled their series in South Africa with victory by 208 runs on the fourth day of the second Test at Durban.

Set an impressive 450 to win and clinch the three-match series, the hosts were dismiss for 241, with only AB de Villiers (69) and Dale Steyn (43) - who put on 99 for the seventh wicket - offering much resistance.

Rangana Herath took five wickets for 79 runs to seal a first Test win for Sri Lanka since the retirement of legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and set the stage for a exciting decider in Cape Town next week.

The last but one day at Kingsmead started with the tourists taking their overnight total of 256 for seven on to 279, with Steyn taking his innings figures to five for 73.

Thisara Perera edged Steyn to Jacques Kallis at second slip for 12, Chanaka Welegedara hit 10 before dispatching the fourth ball he faced to Hashim Amla, then Dilhara Fernando lob a Morne Morkel delivery to Ashwell Prince at gully to depart for three and end the innings.

Welegedara approximately gave Sri Lanka the perfect start to the second South African innings when he induce an edge from Jacques Rudolph, but Angelo Mathews was unable to claim a one-handed catch diving to his left at slip.

Graeme Smith survive an lbw appeal from Perera in the sixth over before fencing a short delivery from Fernando to Mahela Jayawardene at second slip, succumb for 26 with the scoreboard reading 37.

There were no further scares as Rudolph and Amla led the team to lunch on 86 for one - but the afternoon session saw five wickets fall for 45 runs in 23 overs.

Within four balls of the recommencement Rudolph was on his way for 22, wedged by Jayawardene off Perera.

Kallis followed 19 balls later with no scoring, completing a first Test pair when he top-edged a Herath delivery to short leg, where Tharanga Paranavitana took the catch.

It was 106 for four in the 34th over when Amla was run out for 51, approaching down the ground and calling for a single Prince chose not to take.

Prince followed for seven, when he fended a short Fernando delivery to Paranavitana at first slip - and it was 133 for six when Mark Boucher was attentive lbw by Herath for seven.

De Villiers and Steyn dug in for more than 34 overs before the former was fascinated lbw for a 141-ball 69 by Herath with the scoreboard reading 232.

The end was nigh soon after when Morkel was out lbw to Tillakaratne Dilshan for five, before Steyn's 125-ball giving ended in similar fashion.

The contest was over when Marchant de Lange - who took eight wickets on his Test debut - became the third wicket to fall on 241 when he was bowled second ball by Herath, who ended with match figures of nine for 128.

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Pakistan to start afresh vs England

Pakistan and England will face-off for the first time since the spot-fixing dishonor took place and temporary coach Mohsin Khan is sure of a new beginning.

Mohsin took over the reins after Waqar Younis decided to relinquish the post for personal reasons in September. The ex-Pakistan player has been retained for next month's Test and one-day series against England in the United Arab Emirates. "We know the two teams will play for the first time since the spot-fixing scandal last year in England," Khan said.

"We have seen the negative commentary in the British media. But we just want to focus on playing a positive and good series."

Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were earlier put into jail for their participation in the spot-fixing case next to England at Lord's in 2010.

In 2006, Pakistan forfeited a Test at the Oval after umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove penalised them for ball-tampering, most important to tension between the two cricket boards. The ICC adjudicator later cleared Pakistan of the ball tamper charges but banned former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq for misconduct.

Khan, who has led Pakistan to series wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in his temporary role, was confident relations between the players would remain cordial even if he believes strong officiate will be necessary. "The roles of the referee and umpire will be significant," he added. "Whatever has happen in the past is history. We are looking in front now. For us it is a fresh start. We want to show ourselves with our performances that is all. The rest is history."

Khan also protected the recall of left arm paceman Wahab Riaz, insist all players careful for selection had been clean to play by the Pakistan board. Wahab, whose name was mention in court during the spot-fixing trial in London but has never been emotional with a fault, had not played international cricket for six months before his recall for the England series.

"We required Wahab because he exploits the old ball well and gets overturn swing," he said. "These will be significant for us on the pitches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi."

Pakistan, who are not capable to host international matches for security reasons, will play three Tests, four one-day internationals and three Twenty/20 matches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from Jan. 17.

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Welegedara give Sri Lanka huge lead

Sri Lanka 338 (Samaraweera 102, Chandimal 58, de Lange 7-81) and 7 for 1 lead South Africa 168 (Amla 54, Welegedara 5-52, Herath 4-49) by 177 runs

In what has previously been a champagne year for Test cricket, Chanaka Welegedara and Rangana Herath set Sri Lanka up for what could be the biggest Test upset of 2011. There were no signs of Durban's famed Green Mamba - tides which are rumored to make the Kingsmead track juicy - but that didn't put off South Africa from being knocked over for their lowest total against Sri Lanka. While the lower order had to deal with some sharp spin, the expert batsmen didn't have to face any snorters, which make the collapse more baffling.

An assured stand of 76 for the fourth wicket between Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers showed how few gremlins there were in the surface, but collapse on either side of that partnership had South Africa scramble to avert the follow-on. Their tail managed to achieve that, before Welegedara completed his five-for and finished the innings by getting Marchant de Lange to edge to the keeper. De’s 7 for 81 had limited Sri Lanka to 338 in the morning, but instead of a well-earned rest after becoming the eighth debutant to take a five-wicket haul this year, he had to bat in the gloom towards the end of the day.

The considerable lead of 170 did not seem likely even after Thilan Samaraweera became only the second Sri Lanka batsman to make a Test century in South Africa. de Lange had rip out the final three batsmen for three runs, but unhappily for the home fans the wickets sustained to tumble even when South Africa were batting.
Two overs after lunch, Jacques Rudolph sustained the trend of batsmen throw away their wickets, by helping a short ball on leg stump to deep-backward square leg. Graeme Smith followed minutes later, as he fished without footwork at a Chanaka Welegedara delivery to give wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal his first Test catch. It got a lot worse in Welegedara's next over as Jacques Kallis edge to slip to collect a rare Test duck, departure South Africa at 27 for 3.

South Africa still had two of their most bankable batsmen in the middle - Amla and de Villiers - and they revived the home side by comfortably playing out the rest of the session. De Villiers was subdued, but Amla showed his wide range of whiplash shots through the off side. There were several punches throughout cover for four and the point boundary was peppered as he pounced on the wide deliveries offered. Dilhara Fernando, regard as the lead of the Sri Lankan attack, was only bring on as the fourth-change bowler, but even his foreword didn't stop Amla, who lashed three fours in one over to cruise towards another half-century.

If South Africa were breathing easier at tea, when they were 100 for 3, they were left out of breath by what followed after the break. De Villiers chased a half-volley so wide that he ended up on his knees as he edged the ball to second slip. Welegedara had his fourth significant wicket two over’s later when Amla was caught at the back pushing at a delivery angle across.

That put Sri Lanka in charge, and two players whose places in the South Africa side are under inspection were left to launch a save effort. Questions over Mark Boucher's batting aptitude will intensify after his poke to gully off Rangana Herath for 3, but there will be even more pressure on Ashwell Prince after his botched reverse-sweep next to the spin, that too when South Africa were 119 for 6. With Herath proving too good for Morne Morkel, South Africa had lost five for 16.


Dale Steyn didn't get a wicket in a finished Test innings for the first time since 2008, but he still made a crucial contribution as he shepherded South Africa past the follow-on mark. The final two wickets put on 49, again showing that this wasn't a pitch not possible to bat on.

South Africa's submission made Samaraweera's century - only his second outside Asia -even more important. He and Herath defied the home side for more than an hour in complementary style: Samaraweera was 14 short of his hundred overnight and was in no hurry to reach the landmark, while Herath swung at everything, playing some comical yet effective flat-batted swipes next to the hulking fast bowlers.

Samaraweera got to his century soon after drinks, pushing the ball towards cover for two, before energetically celebrating the milestone by pretending to shoot at someone in the dressing room. Herath was also enjoying himself, with consecutive boundaries, both confident steers past cover point as Sri Lanka moved to 335 for 7 before de Lange's burst brought the innings to a quick end.

South Africa had some cheer late in the day, when Tillakaratne Dilshan decomposed for 4, but Sri Lanka is still in pole place to expand the home side's Durban jinx.

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