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More injury concerns have hit England’s side. This time it’s the turn of Andrew Strauss who has gone to hospital to have an x-ray on his ankle.Strauss, who hit 48 yesterday, went over on his ankle in practice this morning and the x-ray has been advised as a precaution.His condition will be reassessed tomorrow.

Pakistan are planning to conduct dope tests on all 30 members of their provisional World Cup squad.The news is not unexpected, after the recent furore surrounding their two fast bowlers, Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar, who were originally banned from cricket after testing positive for nandrolone, but had their sentences overturned on appeal.According to The Dawn newspaper, the Pakistan Cricket Board has instructed its medical panel to obtain relevant kits from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory in Malaysia.A PCB official said: “Instructions have been issued to the medical panel doctors to prepare for the tests which will be carried out before the World Cup because we don’t want to take any chances before such a major tournament.”Pakistan must submit their final 15-man squad on February 13, but it would only be possible for the tests to be carried out after the team finishes its current tour of South Africa.”But we will get the results before the team leaves for the (World Cup) tournament,” the official continued.”We want to take precautionary measures ourselves and also reaffirm our commitment to a zero-tolerance policy towards any kind of drugs in sports.”The paper also speculates that the PCB might send officials to South Africa to conduct Tests on Akhtar and Asif, due to concerns that nandrolone might remain in their bodies by the time the World Cup is played and they could be targeted for random tests in the tournament by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and WADA agents.

Australia 3 for 346 (Ponting 137*, Langer 82, Hussey 63*) v England
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

Ricky Ponting launched his quest for Ashes vengeance with a brilliant unbeaten 137, as Australia piled on the runs on the opening day of first Test at the Gabba. Ponting, whose reputation as captain rests entirely on his success in this campaign, produced a flawless innings from first ball to last, as England’s bowlers wilted in the baking Queensland heat.It was more than just an innings from Ponting, it was a declaration of intent. This was his 10th Test hundred in just 15 Tests dating back to that epic 156 at Old Trafford, but whereas that innings had helped sustain the tension of the 2005 Ashes, this performance was conceived with the absolute opposite purpose. Fed up with the stigma of being Australia’s Ashes-losing captain, he set out to crush any semblance of a competition. It was as if every one of his innings since that moment had been mere dress-rehearsals for today.Ponting’s innings was scripted to perfection from the moment he won the toss and chose to bat first. That particular blow to England’s morale was not as acute as it had been on this ground four years ago, when Nasser Hussain opted to bowl and was met, then as now, by Ponting’s crashing blade. But as word filtered out that Ashley Giles had been selected as England’s spinner ahead of the more attacking Monty Panesar, a packed and patriotic Gabba began to feast on England’s negativity.In particular they feasted on Steve Harmison. After all the hype and all the hoopla, the official presentations, national anthems and assorted paraphernalia, Harmison’s first delivery of the 2006-07 Ashes was the ultimate anticlimax – a massive wide that was fielded at second slip to guffaws from the stands. So much expectation – too much expectation – had been heaped on his shoulders, but this was a moment to rank alongside Phil DeFreitas’s long-hop to Michael Slater on this ground way back in 1994-95.Then, as now, it pricked the bubble of anticipation, and provided Justin Langer – whom Harmison had given such a working-over at Lord’s on the last opening morning – the ideal sighter to settle his nerves. This may have been Langer’s 101st Test match, but his 100th, at Johannesburg back in April, lasted precisely one vicious delivery from Makhaya Ntini. Instead, Harmison’s nervy two-over spell was dispatched for 17 runs, mostly crashed behind square on the off-side, to set the tone for an ominously one-sided first day.Inevitably it was the captain who hauled England back into contention. Flintoff’s first over had not been laced with stardust – two no-balls and an awful overthrow from James Anderson were the highlights. But then he found some extra bounce outside off stump to kiss the edge of Matthew Hayden’s bat, and Paul Collingwood claimed a comfortable chest-high catch in his first match as England’s second slip. Hayden was gone for 21, a solid enough innings but one that was a far cry from his bullying brilliance of four years ago.

That dismissal, however, brought Ponting to the crease and at 79 for 1, with one captain facing up to the other, the Ashes had truly begun. Ponting started watchfully, needing 10 deliveries to get off the mark, but when he did it was with two shots of pure class and confidence – a full-blooded pull and a back-foot steer off Harmison, who had been recalled to the attack to inflict another of his Lord’s duelling scars, but instead had his own figures lacerated.Harmison’s malaise spread to the rest of England’s seamers. Matthew Hoggard was unable to swing the Kookaburra ball and was milked out of the attack, while Anderson – in a reprise of his nightmarish performance at Johannesburg two winters ago – was clattered for 13 fours in 15 overs. He was twice entrusted with the first over of a session, and twice he failed to live up to the task, conceding nine runs straight after lunch and tea. That didn’t however stop Flintoff trusting him with the new ball late in the day, with predictable results.Langer was particularly harsh on Anderson’s waywardness, and he seemed a shoo-in for his 23rd Test century when, on 82, he swatted a wide one from Flintoff to Kevin Pietersen at point, and swished his bat in annoyance as he left. But the damage to England’s psyche had already been done. In the absence of any cutting edge, England desperately needed a steadying influence, and lo and behold, it was the maligned Giles who provided in his first first-class match for exactly 12 months.Steady as ever, he found some extra bounce and bite outside off stump to surprise Damien Martyn as he shaped for a cut and conceded just 51 runs from his 18 overs. But by the close, the almost unnoticed Mike Hussey had nudged and shimmied his way to an unbeaten 63.It was Ponting’s day, however. By stumps he was level with Steve Waugh as Australia’s leading century maker (32) and needed just 71 more runs to reach 9000 runs in Tests. He is destined to break every record in the book. But, and it is a big but, if he fails to win this series as captain, he is destined to be judged as a failure. On today’s evidence, it’ll be over his dead body.

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

A sensational opening partnership was followed by an even more sensational collapse as West Indies replayed one of the familiar tunes that has plagued them in recent times to surrender the opening game of the DLF Cup. A largely inexperienced Australia fought back remarkably, but this match was not about one team winning it. It was about another giving it away after having the opponents bedraggled.There are a few things a team can do when they need 108 runs in 26.4 overs with nine wickets in hand, when the opposition bowlers have been demoralised, and when the opening batsmen have rattled along at seven-and-a-half an over. But West Indies didn’t choose the conventional route. Once their openers went, the rest chose to self-destruct.Nine wickets fell for the addition of just 29. A little over ten years back – in the high-tension World Cup semi-final in Mohali, West Indies had folded in similar fashion and have made it a habit in recent times. Brian Lara went, in what has become a fairly common mode of dismissal for him, shuffling across the stump to be pinned lbw and what Dwayne Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan were doing – trying to improvise when the asking-rate wasn’t even five – is anybody’s guess. It was one royal mess.Let’s not forget Australia. First they made 279 on a pitch that was two-paced to start with, thanks to two cracking fifties from Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke. Then they kept their heads up even when Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle went bananas, and raised the bar in the field and refused to believe the match had slipped from their grasp.Glenn McGrath took a while to find his groove – it was the first time in nearly seven years that he’d bowled more than four wides in a match – but came back later with control. Mitchell Johnson, hammered for 39 in his first four overs, fought back spiritedly to claim two vital wickets; Shane Watson kept pegging away, brushed aside catching lapses, and ended with four wickets.The West Indies innings now seems like another match altogether. Not many West Indians can claim to outscore Gayle and it was a sight watching Chanderpaul go after the bowling in inspired fashion. The Australians have seen this side of him earlier – three years back, in the carnival atmosphere of the Bourda Oval at Georgetown, he unleashed the third fastest Test hundred – and there was little this new Australian line-up could do to contain him today.

The first boundary came only in the sixth over but the flood that followed was truly sensational. Nathan Bracken was carted for five fours in the space of nine deliveries – the midwicket fence receiving a peppering – before he was completely taken apart in the 10th over – when two wristy pick-ups produced a couple of sixes right from the Saeed Anwar textbook. Just as all the attention was focused on Chanderpaul, like some dormant volcano, Gayle awoke. At one point he had 17 off 26 balls and soon reached fifty off 43 thanks to a boundary-filled spell that was as emphatic as they come. He gave himself room, gave the bowlers a clear sight of the stumps, and violently deposited the ball into the stands. But his dismissal, slicing a shortish ball to point, signalled the beginning of the end.As for Australia, it was imperative that they got off to a rapid start. Shrugging off a rustiness that is likely to accompany a five-month break and adjusting to the vagaries of a virgin pitch, they cruised along to a healthy total. While both the left-handed openers – Phil Jaques and Simon Katich – struggled against the spongy bounce, or lack of it, Ponting adjusted almost immediately. His upbeat half-century, made at more than a run-a-ball, set the tone before Clarke bounced onto the stage and picked up the baton. Clarke was soon spreading the field – why would anyone bowl consistently on his pads? – and then settled into a rhythm of singles and twos. Being quick on your feet helps and Clarke, getting to the pitch of the ball, gave himself the best chance. Towards the latter stages he began backing away to the legside and whacking towards cover and, if not for a Dwayne Bravo slower ball that beat him, a hundred was there for the taking.There were good support acts as well with Katich sticking on adhesively and Mark Cosgrove providing a wonderful imitation of what Darren Lehmann used to bring to the table. Cosgrove is one of those batsmen who has the rare quality of irritating the opposition with his stroke production: shuffle, read length, flick; shuffle, read length, nudge. Suddenly he would burst forth and unleash a powerful stroke. Later he came on, ran in like a truck hurtling down a slope, and dismissed Wavell Hinds to open the floodgates. When he was batting Lara might have been tempted to tear his hair out; at the end of the game he might have actually turned bald.How they were out
AustraliaPhil Jaques b Edwards 2 (9 for 1)
Ricky Ponting lbw b Bradshaw 54l (107 for 2)
Simon Katich c Bravo b Smith 36 (122 for 3)
Mark Cosgrove c Lara b Smith 34 (191 for 4)
Shane Watson c Sarwan b Smith 2 (205 for 5)
Michael Clarke b Bravo 81 (258 for 6)
Brad Haddin b Haddin 24 (258 for 7)
Nathan Bracken b Taylor 1 (260 for 8)
West IndiesChris Gayle c Jaques b Watson 60 (136 for 1)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul c Haddin b Johnson 92 (172 for 2)
Brian Lara lbw b Johnson 1 (176 for 3)
Dwayne Bravo c Jaques b McGrath 1 (185 for 4)
Wavell Hinds c Haddin b Cosgrove 2 (196 for 5)
Ramnaresh Sarwan c Ponting b Watson 22 (197 for 6)
Carlton Baugh c Haddin b Bracken 0 (198 for 7)
Ian Bradshaw lbw b Watson 0 (199 for 8)
Jerome Taylor b Watson 0 (199 for 9)
Dwayne Smith c Haddin b Bracken 2 (201 all out)

Match facts

Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)

The Big Picture

It will be a match between the Invincibles and the Resurgents. After one blip, the Rajasthan Royals haven’t looked capable of putting a foot wrong while the Mumbai Indians, who looked set to sink after four straight losses, have managed to turn the tide. But what could have been the showpiece of the tournament will not materialise, not yet at least: Sachin Tendulkar, yet to play a match in the IPL due to groin injury, won’t be squaring up against Shane Warne.Yet Mumbai, after back-to-back wins, will approach the match with belief and confidence. After appearing rudderless in the initial matches, they were led from the front by Shaun Pollock in their spectacular come-from-behind win against the Delhi Daredevils. Pollock seems to be easing into captaincy and grasping the strengths and weaknesses of his side.Batting, though, remains Mumbai’s major weakness. Dwayne Bravo’s 64 has been the lone match-winning innings, and it is also the only half-century recorded by a Mumbai batsman. Sanath Jayasuriya and Robin Uthappa, of whom much was expected, have disappointed. A casual attitude and lack of patience have been the features of their batting, leading to an absence of partnerships. They have their task cut out against a resourceful bowling attack, cannily led by Warne.If Rajasthan have to guard against anything, it is the possibility of an off-day. Every trick they have tried has worked so far has worked like a dream. Warne has promised more surprises, and be sure that he will be up to something. Apart from carrying some momentum in to the match, Mumbai would also hoping that the law of averages catches with the old geezer.

Tournament position

Mumbai Indians P6 W/L2/4 NRR -0.889
Rajasthan Royals P6 W/L5/1 NRR +0.873

IPL form (last five matches)

Mumbai Indians LLLWW
Rajasthan Royals WWWWW

Watch out for …

Sourav Ganguly, who pulled his right hamstring while fielding in the first one-dayer against Australia in Bangalore, has been rested for the second game in Kochi as a precautionary measure.The team management has informed that the injury is not serious, and that Ganguly should be available for the remainder of the series. Ganguly went off the field in the 27th over of the first ODI at Bangalore.”An MRI scan was performed on Sourav’s right hamstring this morning and it has determined no injury to the region,” Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, said in a statement.”Based on the findings, a vigorous rehab approach will be commencing immediately. On the report of team physio John Gloster and other analysis, the team management feels that Sourav will progress quickly and hence it was decided to rest him for a game.”Ganguly was confident of regaining his fitness for the third game. “Thankfully, it’s a strain and not a tear… I should be available for the third match,” he told the Kolkata-based . The team’s cricket manager, Lalchand Rajput, also echoed his views: “It’s not a tear, but Sourav has to rest … one can’t take a chance.”Meanwhile offspinner Harbhajan Singh admitted to the same newspaper that he was recovering from a stiff neck. “I can now turn my head to the left… I’m much better and should be available for Tuesday’s match.”The second one-dayer gets underway on October 2 while the third, at Hyderabad, is scheduled for October 5.

West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite has plenty to say about his batting, his doughty 85 on the first day of the SCG Test, his development on this tour, and the prospect of bowling on a turning Sydney pitch. He has nothing at all to say about, or for, Marlon Samuels.In a telling interlude as Brathwaite spoke about how he has evolved as a batsman on this trip, becoming more proactive to counter Australia’s bowlers rather than simply trying to wait them out, he became decidedly tight-lipped about Samuels, the run-out they were involved in, and the older man’s contribution to the tour.It may well have been a case of if you’ve got nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all, for Samuels has endured a wretched tour, notching a meagre 35 runs in five innings – an average of seven for those not paying attention – and earning plenty of criticism for his apparent lack of verve in the field. At the time of the run-out, which was Samuels’ call, West Indies were in a decent position. After it, they subsided to 6 for 207.”I think those things happen in cricket. I’m not sure what to say about that,” Brathwaite said. “It was just a misunderstanding.”Queried further on Samuels’ contribution this tour, Brathwaite clammed up. “There’s not much I can say about that at the moment,” he said. A further question to that effect drew a similar response from the team media manager.What was left to discuss was an innings that impressed many, lacking only the catharsis of reaching three figures after Nathan Lyon finally found a way to confound Brathwaite’s previously sure feet and sound mind. “It is a good challenge,” Brathwaite said of Lyon. “I think he is bowling quite well and I just have to keep believing in my ability. They fielded well today and for me it is about trusting my defence and working towards my plan.”It is a tour where I am learning and I just want to keep going out there and building a foundation for my team and learning in the process. On a first-day pitch that is spinning like that, once we get a score, anything about 300 will put ourselves in a good position.”I think the spinners bowled well, it is just about trusting your defence and backing your shots and you can score. Coming from the last game, when the guys showed some improvement, it is key to keep showing that improvement and supporting one another.”As for the pitch, Brathwaite was surprised by how much deviation it offered, but was eager to see how his team might fare on it – and how he might bowl on it. “I was quite surprised, I didn’t expect the first day to spin like that,” he said. “I heard it can spin here but I didn’t expect that.”So as batters, once we put some runs on the board, we can put some pressure on Australia. It is important when we do bowl that we string those dots together because dots balls can build pressure and that brings wickets. I will be looking forward to [bowling]. We will just have to see what happens.”

Sri Lanka’s captain, Mahela Jayawardene, has played down the decision to rest two of his team’s key bowlers during their seven-wicket defeat to Australia. The former World Cup winners, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan, were both omitted along with the injured spearhead Lasith Malinga, although Jayawardene insisted the decision had been taken for fitness reasons, rather than tactical ones.”Those two guys have been playing throughout,” Jayawardene said, “and Murali has had a problem with his groin as well – he played with a strap for the last two or three games. Once we realised we’d got the semi-final spot, we realised we needed to give these guys a break. Obviously they have had [fitness] problems over the last six to 12 months, so we had to give them a break in the best interests of the team.”After touring New Zealand at the end of last year, Vaas, 33, rested a sore hamstring during Sri Lanka’s recent tour of India and also missed the team’s warm-up matches against Scotland and New Zealand in Barbados. Murali, who turns 35 on Tuesday, has long operated in spite of a shoulder problem. “You have to play at 100% against Australia,” Jayawardene said. “To play at 50 or 60% is no good for them or the team. We took the decision, but if you think that’s a tactical thing, that’s for you to think.”Up to now we have taken every game very seriously, and this game too. We just had to make a team decision. Obviously Australia haven’t [had a chance to see] Vaas and Murali, but we never thought about it like that. We purely wanted to make sure they didn’t burn out before the key matches.”Jayawardene said the players could be rested again when they face Ireland on Wednesday. “If they want to have a go at Ireland – maybe it won’t be that tough a game – they can easily come back into things,” he said. “But if they feel they need another break we will give them one.”Ricky Ponting, Australia’s captain, said that he “didn’t care” what tactics or otherwise Sri Lanka had used, but added that the decision to hide Muralitharan from his batsmen was a strange one. “That’s one thing I don’t understand,” he said. “This was a good opportunity for him to have a crack at our batsmen, but it doesn’t worry our batters at all.”We have played him a lot, and we’ve got lots of footage on him, so we know the way he goes about things. We play him as well as anyone around the world anyway. This would have been a good opportunity for him to get stuck into us and take some wickets.”Ponting did not expect New Zealand to employ similar methods in the teams’ final Super Eights game on Friday. “They’ll want to beat us and we’ll want to beat them,” he said. “They’ve got a good record against us of late, having won the three games in New Zealand just before we came away.”These sorts of conditions suit their game-plan. They’ve got guys who play spin bowling and slower bowling pretty well. They’ve got guys that take the pace off the ball and cut the ball a lot in their bowling options. We’d like to think we can improve in the New Zealand game, win it and go into the semis with a whole lot of momentum behind us.”